World of Water, World of Light

Vicki Spandel is an experienced writer and educator with a passion for storytelling and teaching. She has traveled extensively to Hawaii, where she conducted writing workshops for hundreds of local teachers and spent months exploring the ocean, whale-watching, and snorkeling, often listening to the enchanting songs of whales-experiences that inspired her to write this book. Spandel has received many accolades for her writing, including a Telly Award for her script "Seeing with New Eyes" and a Best Chapter Book of the Year award from Kirkus for No Ordinary Cat (2021). She is also the author of many books on the craft of writing, including Creating Writers and The 9 Rights of Every Writer, as well as the Singular Cat Series: No Ordinary Cat, Finding Waihona, and Asha, Queen of Cats. She now lives with her husband, Jerry, in Sisters, Oregon, where they share their home with local wildlife. She continues to enjoy hiking, biking, gardening, and cross-country skiing. Karen Duplisea is an accomplished artist, professional dancer, and former associate professor of dance at a university theater school. She now brings that same graceful movement and expression onto the surface of a canvas, moving freely between genres, mediums, and subjects in charcoal, acrylics, and oil. "Still dancing!" as she puts it. Duplisea calls her work on World of Water, World of Light, the first book she has illustrated, a remarkable journey. When she read the manuscript for World of Water; World of Light with an artist's eye, the images "just poured out." While charcoal might be an unconventional choice for middle grade chapter books, Duplisea feels it captures the drama and spirit of the story. She currently lives with her husband, Jeff, in Toronto.