Maria Elias, Senior Art Director

Maria joined Penguin Young Readers in 2019, and previously designed for Random House, Disney Hyperion, and Workman Publishing. Before falling in love with book design, she worked in news and magazine. Maria’s work has been recognized by AIGA 50 Books/50Covers, the Type Directors Club, and the New York Book Show. She is also a member of the LatinX in publishing community and supports diversity in books.

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Rise X: Read More

Publishing books for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers is an immense responsibility. At RISE, we have the power to inspire our readers to become a generation of empowered, confident, self-loving, empathetic, and resilient people… all through the power of exposure. Every book we publish serves to help children feel smart, capable, important, safe, and loved.

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Kelsey Murphy, Editor

Kelsey Murphy, editor at Philomel Books, joined Penguin Random House as an editor in 2018. She graduated from New York University with a degree in dramatic literature, film studies, and theater history, and a minor in creative writing. Kelsey edits picture books, middle grade, and young adult fiction and nonfiction, as well as select graphic novels.

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Dana Leydig, Executive Editor

Dana Leydig is Executive Editor at Viking Children’s Books. She began her publishing career as an intern for Puffin Books in 2008, and returned full-time in 2010 before moving to her current role at Viking in 2018. A graduate of the University of Florida (Go Gators!), she earned a degree in English with a minor…

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Jenny Bak, Executive Editor

Jenny Bak is Executive Editor at Viking Children’s, where she edits middle grade and young adult fiction, as well as the occasional picture book. She is drawn to stories at the intersection of commercial and literary, especially those with irresistible hooks, a swift pace, clever storytelling, unexpected twists, and authentic, diverse voices. In YA, she…

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Philomel Awards

Whatever the genre, Philomel strives to foster a love of reading in children and young adults. It is an appreciation of story, of language, of books that can be read over and over and yet lose none of their magic that drives Philomel to make distinguished, meaningful books year after year.

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Philomel

Whatever the genre, Philomel strives to foster a love of reading in children and young adults. It is an appreciation of story, of language, of books that can be read over and over and yet lose none of their magic that drives Philomel to make distinguished, meaningful books year after year.

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Rachel Sonis, Assistant Editor

Rachel Sonis is an Assistant Editor, who has worked on a number of critically-acclaimed and bestselling books such as Jessica Hische’s Tomorrow I’ll Be Kind and the Pocket Change Collective — pocket-sized books written by today’s leading activists and artists like Kimberly Drew, Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, Alok Vaid-Menon, and Adam Eli.

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