We love to follow local authors and illustrators. This year we hoped to encourage Dan Tavis, a Christian young man from New Hampshire who is starting off his career as an illustrator with a bang. We sent Marco Polo comments to him after his new book on krill came out, and Whale Fall Cafe was one of our favorite picture books of the whole year.

Well, imagine hitting the New York Times bestsellers at #1 in children’s picture books while you’re still in your twenties! Dan did that this week!  Congratulations, Dan!