About Joalda Morancy
Joalda Morancy is an astrophysicist and space communicator who appears on Reach: A Space Podcast for Kids. Joalda loves doing science communication to the general public, and is passionate about inspiring kids and teens who come from underrepresented backgrounds to study STEM subjects, especially space science.
About Aaron Cushley
Aaron Cushley is a talented illustrator from Belfast. Aaron's work is inspired by his inner child and the world around him, and he loves exploring the innocence and creativity that emerges when he takes a pencil in his hand. He was shortlisted for the Information Book Award 2021 for How Many Mice Make an Elephant?, written by Tracey Turner, published by Pan MacMillan and for the North Somerset Teachers' Book Awards 2020 for Poems for a Green Blue Planet written by Sabrina Mahfouz, published by Hodder.
About Neon Squid
Neon Squid creates beautiful nonfiction books for inquisitive kids (and kids at heart). We believe the most amazing stories are real ones, so our books are for children who want to decipher ancient scrolls, orbit distant stars, and dive into the deepest oceans. Our books are a labor of love—written by experts, illustrated by the best artists around, and produced using the finest materials, including sustainably sourced paper. We hope that by reading them kids are encouraged to further explore the world around them.
About Melinda Sewak
Melinda Sewak (she/her/hers) is an Emmy-nominated story chaser, whose rich, lyrical, and welcoming voice brings life to an ever-growing cast of characters. Her facility with language is deeply immersive and has added dimension to 25+ audiobooks, ranging from children’s fiction to YA to romantic comedy to fantasy. Melinda has been fine-tuning her ability to convey the truth and the comedy in every story by drawing on her own diverse life experiences as a Black, queer creator – having grown up as a first-generation Haitian-American, graduated with a BA in Theater Studies from Yale University, toured as a jazz a cappella singer, worked as a firefighter and rescuer, conducted and published critical care and emergency medicine research, attended medical school, coached as a certified personal trainer, served as a Shakespeare teaching artist, worked in IT as a data and business analyst – and professionally acting on stage and screen. While varied, the through-line has always been a love for people and storytelling – and an always-present desire, evident in the rhythm and curiosity that exude from her voice, to discover, to share, and to connect with story and listener alike.