As a Programs team member, Mandy is the United Through Reading Program Coordinator in the D.C. Area. She works with commands and local military support groups, increases awareness of United Through Reading and the importance of the read-aloud experience for the entire military family, and coordinates recording opportunities.Mandy is an Air Force spouse of 18 years and mom of three. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Child Development. As a volunteer, Mandy has served on the board of the McChord Thrift Shop and was part of the team that created the Joan Brown Spouse Space at JBLM. When she is not working, she enjoys all things peloton, coaching youth soccer, and glamping with her family in their travel trailer. Mandy can be reached at mandydisney@utr.org.Learn more at https://unitedthroughreading.org/#unitedthroughreading #militaryfamilies #literacy

Guojing is an award-winning author and illustrator of picture books and graphic novels. Her wordless picture book The Only Child was named a New York Times Best Illustrated Book of the Year. Her second wordless picture book Stormy: A Story About Finding a Forever Home was an ALA Notable Children’s Book, hailed as “masterful” by The New York Times.Her graphic novels The Flamingo and Oasis received widespread acclaim, with Oasis recognized as Best Children's Book of the Year by The New York Times, NPR, Publishers Weekly, and more. The House That Floated was published in September 2025 by Penguin Random House, and her latest book, The Octopus, will be published by Two Lions in April 2026.Learn more at https://www.guojingart.com/about

Author Christy Mihaly loves history, nature, and books. She writes for kids because she believes that our best hope for the future is raising young people who love to read, and giving them the knowledge and skills to lead. Christy has written around 40 children's nonfiction titles on topics from hayfields to free speech to food.Her fall 2021 picture book with Barefoot Books, WATER: A Deep Dive of Discovery, illustrated by Mariona Cabassa, was awarded a Kirkus star and a Gold in the Nautilus Book Awards. Other picture books include Patience, Patches, a fictional tale of a dog and a new baby (Dial), Our Congress and The Supreme Court and Us, which introduce young readers to the history and functions of the U.S. Supreme Court and Congress. (Albert Whitman.) A former lawyer, Christy has written extensively about civics and our government. The picture book Free for You and Me introduces the First Amendment through poems and stories. (Albert Whitman 2020.) Other books include the YA Diet for a Changing Climate: Food for Thought (Lerner 2018, co-written with Sue Heavenrich), which explores how our food affects the environment, and Hey, Hey, Hay! (A Tale of Bales and the Machines That Make Them), a rhyming picture book about haymaking (Holiday House, 2018). In addition to the Nautilus Gold, Christy's books have been included on the Green Earth Book Award shortlist, Bank Street Children's Best Books, and Junior Library Guild Gold Standard selections. Many of her poems appear in anthologies and magazines. She is represented by Erzsi Deak of Hen&ink Literary Studio. She lives in Vermont, where she enjoys walking her dog in the woods and playing cello (though not simultaneously).Learn more at https://www.christymihaly.com/