NHBF Author: Bonnie Friedman

Bonnie Friedman is the author of the bestselling Writing Past Dark, named one of the Essential Books for Writers by the Center for Fiction and Poets & Writers. She is also the author of The Thief of Happiness and Surrendering Oz, a finalist for the PEN Award in the Art of the Essay. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Ploughshares and numerous other literary journals, and she has been named a notable essayist four times in The Best American Essays. She has taught writing at the University of Iowa, Dartmouth, NYU, and the University of North Texas. Don’t Stop is her first novel.

This author is scheduled to appear at the NH Book Festival which will be held at the Capitol Center for the Arts & NHBF Festival Village on South Main Street in Concord, NH on October 2-3, 2026.

NHBF Author: Carrie Finison

Carrie Finison writes children’s books with humor and heart that are fun to read aloud. Her books include Dozens of Doughnuts and the sequel, Plenty of Pancakes; Don’t Hug Doug, an ALA Notable Children’s Book; Even Steven: A Book About Sharing; Lulu & Zoey: A Sister Story; Hurry, Little Tortoise, Time for School; Pigs Dig a Road; and Touch a Truck Day, a lift the-flap board book. In addition, her poetry and stories have been published in magazines including Highlights, High Five, Ladybug, and Babybug. She lives outside of Boston with her husband, son, and daughter, and two cats who permit her to work in their cozy attic office.

This author is scheduled to appear at the NH Book Festival which will be held at the Capitol Center for the Arts & NHBF Festival Village on South Main Street in Concord, NH on October 2-3, 2026.

3 on a Theme: Fire & Ice

The Fire in the Glass (The London Charismatics) by Jacquelyn Benson  

Ice Lands by Carol Westberg

Iggy Who Breathes Fire by Carrie Kruck

NHBF Author: E.M. Elliott

E.M. Elliott grew up on a steady diet of Goosebumps, a series he credits for his life-long love of all things spooky. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife, daughter, and dog. He hopes Bigfoot is real.

This author is scheduled to appear at the NH Book Festival which will be held at the Capitol Center for the Arts & NHBF Festival Village on South Main Street in Concord, NH on October 2-3, 2026.

NHBF Author: David Elliott

David Elliott is the award-winning author of over thirty-five picture books and novels for young people, including The New York Times bestselling And Here’s to You!. He is also the author of three critically acclaimed YA verse novels: Bull; Voices: The Final Hours of Joan of Arc; and The Seventh Raven as well as such picture books as Finn Throws a Fit and Baabwa and Wooliam. He is a two-time winner of the Claudia Lewis Award for Poetry Book of the Year. His most recent book, Bonebag, co-written with his son, Eli, received starred reviews from both Booklist and Kirkus. His books have been translated into more than fifteen languages. David was a founding member of Lesley University’s Low Residence Master of Arts Program in Creative Writing where he taught for twenty years. Before becoming a writer, David worked as a cucumber washer in Greece, a popsicle stick maker in Israel, a teacher in Libya, and a singer in Mexico. Currently, David lives in New Hampshire with his wife.

This author is scheduled to appear at the NH Book Festival which will be held at the Capitol Center for the Arts & NHBF Festival Village on South Main Street in Concord, NH on October 2-3, 2026.

2026 Ladybug Voting Guide

The 2026 Ladybug Picture Book Award Voting Guide is now available. 

The guide includes information and activities for each nominated title and is a printable pdf.

New Hampshire children, from preschool to fourth grade, will select the winning picture book when they vote in November 2026. 

The deadline for sending in votes is Sunday, December 20, 2026 at 4:30 pm.

Voting materials, including ballots and a link to the online tally sheet, are available on the Ladybug web page.

NHBF Author: Maggie Dietz

Maggie Dietz’s third book of poems, If You Would Let Me, was published by Four Way books in March 2026. Her previous collections, both from the University of Chicago, are That Kind of Happy and Perennial Fall, which won New Hampshire's Jane Kenyon Award for Outstanding Book of Poetry and a Wisconsin Library Association Literary Award for Outstanding Achievement. Dietz was founding director of the Favorite Poem Project, created by former U.S. poet laureate Robert Pinsky, and is co-editor of three anthologies related to the project: Americans’ Favorite Poems, Poems to Read, and An Invitation to Poetry (all W.W. Norton). From 2004-2012, she was assistant poetry editor at Slate. Her awards include a Pushcart Prize, the Grolier Poetry Prize, the George Bennett Fellowship at Phillips Exeter Academy, as well as fellowships from the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, MA, the NH State Council on the Arts, and Jentel Arts. Her work has appeared in AGNI, The Adroit Journal, Bennington Review, Birmingham Poetry Review, Ploughshares, Poetry, Salmagundi, The Threepenny Review, and elsewhere. She is an associate professor at the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

This author is scheduled to appear at the NH Book Festival which will be held at the Capitol Center for the Arts & NHBF Festival Village on South Main Street in Concord, NH on October 2-3, 2026.