Renee Kelly, Executive Editor
Renee Kelly works on leveled readers, picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, and more. She’s drawn to stand-out characters with diverse, dynamic voices, and particularly enjoys stories with a good dose of girl power. Above all, she aspires to publish books that are inspiring, inclusive, and entertaining.
Read MorePaula Manzanero, Director of Who HQ and Nonfiction Publishing
Paula Manzanero edits the Who Was? series as well as the ancillary titles of the WHO HQ brand, such as activity books, journals, and joke books. She also publishes dynamic nonfiction on a wide variety of subjects for ages 8 and up.
Read MoreCecily Kaiser, Vice President & Publisher
Cecily Kaiser joined Penguin in 2019 with a mission to create engaging, empowering, and elegant books for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers. She has previously worked with major contributors to this category such as Norman Bridwell, Caroline Jayne Church, Barney Saltzberg, Jean Jullien, Leslie Patricelli, Chris Raschka, and Lotta Nieminen, and looks forward to continuing to publish groundbreaking talent for the youngest readers.
Read MoreNancy Paulsen, President & Publisher
Nancy Paulsen has been with Penguin her entire career, starting as an assistant at Viking Children’s Books, where many of the books she edited have established themselves as classics, including Froggy Gets Dressed by Jonathan London, I Like Me by Nancy Carlson, and Horrible Harry by Suzy Kline.
Read MoreNancy Paulsen Books
Nancy Paulsen Books launched its first hardcover list in Fall 2011. The imprint publishes fifteen books a year and focuses on eye-opening, often funny picture books and fiction from diverse and distinct voices, especially stories that are inventive and emotionally satisfying. These are the kinds of books that are adopted by book clubs and that appear on state lists, generated by the votes of children.
Read MoreSydnee Monday, Editor
Assistant Editor Sydnee Monday was born on a Monday in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She wants to read about what it feels like to live in your skin, disillusionment with crumbling facades, and how we move towards utopia.
Read MoreJoanna Cárdenas, Associate Publisher
Senior Editor Joanna Cárdenas has worked on such critically-acclaimed and award-winning books as The First Rule of Punk by Celia C. Pérez and Stand Up Yumi Chung by Jessica Kim.
Read MoreZareen Jaffery, Executive Editor
Executive Editor Zareen Jaffery joined Kokila in January 2020, and will continue to publish books across age groups. She has acquired and edited a number of New York Times bestselling, award-winning, and critically acclaimed books over the course of her publishing career.
Read MoreJasmin Rubero, Senior Art Director
Art Director Jasmin Rubero has designed books by critically-acclaimed and bestselling artists and authors, including the New York Times bestselling Ladybug Girl series by Jacky Davis and David Soman; Pura Belpré Award winner Portraits of Hispanic American Heroes by Juan Felipe Herrera, illustrated by Raul Colón; and Junot DÃaz’s debut picture book Islandborn, illustrated by Leo Espinosa.
Read MoreNamrata Tripathi, President and Publisher
Namrata Tripathi is Vice President & Publisher of Kokila, an imprint of Penguin Young Readers dedicated to centering stories from the margins.
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