The Perfect Place

Matt de la Peña is the Newbery Medal–winning author of Last Stop on Market Street. He is also the author of the award-winning picture books Carmela Full of Wishes, Love, and A Nation’s Hope: The Story of Boxing Legend Joe Louis, and seven critically acclaimed young adult novels. Matt teaches creative writing and visits schools and colleges throughout the country. You can visit Matt at mattdelapena.com, or follow him on Twitter and Instagram @mattdelapena.

Paola Escobar is a a graphic designer and illustrator from Colombia.   As a child she loved drawing the stories told by her grandmother about their family and culture and it was her dream to become an illustrator for children’s books.   She is the illustrator of the award-winning picture book Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré as well as many other critically-acclaimed picture books. She has worked with publishers across the world and is proud to have illustrated stories that celebrate cultural diversity and champion unsung heroes.   Paola lives very happily in Bogotá, Colombia, with her husband and their dog, Flora.