Henry the Boy

Henry uses forearm crutches decorated with animal stickers. He sometimes feels out of place at school, but through his own rich imagination and his friendship with Joel, Henry learns to define himself on his own terms.

Molly Felder has a physical disability called cerebral palsy. Her assistance dog, Patterson, was placed with her through Canine Companions for Independence. He helps her by opening doors, turning lights on and off, and much more. In 2016, they attended the Highlights Foundation Kid's Book Revision Retreat together in beautiful Honesdale, Pennsylvania. Molly received her M.A. from New York University's Gallatin School of Individualized Study, where she focused on creative writing and disability culture. She is committed to representing children of all abilities in her writing, and loves teaching English to Chinese students online. She lives in Alabama.

Mother-and-son creative team Nate Christopherson and Tara Sweeney create magical scenes with Nate's whimsical ink line characters in Tara's vibrant watercolor settings. Their first collaborative picture book, A to Zaao: Exploring the American Swedish Institute’s Historic Collection (University of Minnesota Press, 2020), cultivates curiosity in ways most of us wouldn’t dare resulting in some delightful and surprising discoveries. Henry the Boy is their second book as a team. They both live in Saint Paul, Minnesota.