Bios - Anita Reynolds McArthur and Karen Roy

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Anita Reynolds McArthur

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Born and raised in Montreal, Anita Reynolds MacArthur relocated to Toronto to pursue a career in educational publishing. She worked for 15 years editing other people’s words before deciding to write some words of her own. She currently resides in a Toronto suburb with her husband, three children, and the family dog Goober. Anita’s inspiration for writing children’s picture book stories comes from the everyday little challenges and miracles that occur in her family life.

A Royal Little Pest (© 2009) is one of Canada's "Top 10 Great Books for Children 2010," as awarded by the Canadian Toy-Testing Council (CTTC). One of approximately 100 entries, this first picture book in the MacCheeky series was chosen by a panel of over 1,000 children from across Canada. This award-winning book recently received an Honorable Mention in the Writer’s Digest 18th Annual International Book Awards. It was promoted in the March/April 2011 issue of Writer’s Digest.

A Royal Little Pest: Mine! (© 2010) was selected by Nelson Education Ltd. as a Read-Aloud for Nelson Literacy Kindergarten’s new national program. Curriculum-based Lesson Plans were specifically created for this picture book. It is being read in classrooms across Canada as part of the program's Getting Along unit. Midwest Book Review: Children's Bookwatch gives this second picture book in the MacCheeky series two thumbs up with 5/5 stars and The Manitoba Library Association's CM Magazine rates it as “Highly Recommended” with 3.5/4 stars.

Anita continues to work in educational publishing (yes, she still has her day job). In her spare time, Anita visits schools to promote the importance of literacy and how it relates to students’ everyday lives. She has written several yet-to be published stand-alone picture book stories and has just completed writing the third story in the MacCheeky series entitled The Best Pet of All.

Based on student demand generated while visiting with thousands of students over the past two years, Anita is excited to share the news that she is writing her first work of fiction for middle grade readers.

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Karen Roy

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Technically speaking, Karen Roy studied Graphic Design at Durham College, which sounds rather serious...but mostly she was scribbling on scrap pieces of paper rather than paying attention. Then she found out that she liked to scribble on her computer even more.

Karen lives with one husband, two kids, two cats and a mother who loves her very much.

This is Karen’s second book.