Ever wondered what it takes to write a children’s picture book? Seas the day and join us as we launch JoAnne Wetzel’s picture book Mermaid School and celebrate Tim McCanna’s Bitty Bot’s Big Beach Getaway   JoAnne and Tim will discuss how to write a picture book and how they both decided to give their latest books an undersea setting.

JoAnne Stewart Wetzel is the author of two children's books on theater, Onstage/Backstage and Playing Juliet. Her first picture book, The Christmas Box, was named a Noteworthy Book for Children by the Bank Street College of Education. She has worked in public relations, as a columnist for Gentry Magazine, taught at the elementary, high school and college levels, was a children’s librarian, and served as the Regional Advisor for SCBWI’s San Francisco/South chapter.  

Tim McCanna is the author of Bitty Bot, Barnyard Boogie, and Watersong, which was a 2017 New York Public Library Best Book for Kids and National Council of Teachers of English Notable Poetry Book. His 2018 picture books include Jack B. Ninja, Bitty Bot’s Big Beach Getaway, So Many Sounds, and Boing!  Tim served eight years as Assistant Regional Advisor for SCBWI’s San Francisco/South chapter, and has been an actor, musician, musical theater writer, and graphic designer before becoming a children’s book author.