Stef Wade’s THE FUN GUY is a Junior Library Guild Selection

Posted on May 15, 2026 by Stef Wade

The Fun Guy written by Stef Wade and illustrated by Steph Laberis has been chosen as a 2026 Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection!

The Junior Library Guild selections are picked based on merit. For over 95 years JLG has supported librarians by reading tens of thousands of titles and handpicking only the best ones across 70+ categories. Nearly 95% of JLG Gold Standard Selections go on to earn starred or favorable reviews and industry honors and awards.

Stef Wade’s THE FUN GUY Releasing Fall 2026

Posted on January 13, 2026 by Stef Wade

I’m so excited to announce that I now have two books coming out in 2026!

THE FUN GUY, written by Stef Wade and illustrated by Steph Laberis, will be released by Scholastic in Fall 2026.

THE FUN GUY is a punny story about Myles Porcini, a rambunctious little mushroom who sometimes has trouble focusing during important tasks. But when others follow his lead and the forest starts to suffer, it’s up to him to save the day. This book is a lot of fun with some sneaky learning and will help guide kids to learn how to harness all their fun guy energy for good.

I’m thrilled to be working with Katie Heit and the team at Scholastic and partnering with the incredible Steph Laberis for this project. Stay tuned for release dates, cover reveals, pre-orders, reviews, and more!

Now booking author visits for the 2025-26 school year!

Posted on August 18, 2025 by Stef Wade

Calling all elementary teachers, librarians, principals, PTA committees, and more!

Back to school already?

I’m so excited for another fun-packed, giggle-filled year of sneaky learning fun and would love to come visit your classroom or school! I’m now booking for the 2025-2026 school year – offering six different presentations, including an interactive writing workshop guaranteed to spark story ideas and encourage a love of storytelling. Author visits are such a fun way to engage students, give them real world application, and to have some good, old fashioned fun.

All descriptions of presentations can be found HERE as well as author visit pricing and other booking information.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out! I hope to see you soon!

NEW BOOK DEAL!

Posted on April 30, 2025 by Stef Wade

I’ve been waiting forever and EVERGREEN to share this news with everyone!

For all the fans of Lance Cottonwood and The Very Last Leaf, comes a new winter book starring Lance’s best friend, Doug Fir!

Written by Stef Wade and illustrated by Erin Taylor, The Very Eager Evergreen finds Doug Fir with a case of the winter blues. But a surprising new pen pal comes along and helps Doug find joy in winter – and himself- again!

Full of wintery forest facts and lots of evergreen fun, The Very Eager Evergreen will be a great addition to any winter bookshelf.

The book releases on August 1, 2026 with Capstone Publishing. Stay tuned for more updates, cover reveals, pre-order links, and more!

Stef Wade releases EVERY DAY’S A HOLIDAY

Posted on January 3, 2023 by Stef Wade

EVERY DAY’S A HOLIDAY: Winnie’s Birthday Countdown is available now! Written by Stef Wade, illustrated by Husna Aghniya, this whimsical picture book features a young girl counting down to her birthday while learning about all the other wonderful celebrations to be had throughout the year.

All kids ask a lot of questions, but Winnie is stuck on one in particular: “Is it my birthday yet?” To show her the excitement in other days, Winnie’s mom introduces her to holidays from all around the world. They celebrate everything from National Popcorn Day to Lost Sock Memorial Day! This adorable book is equal parts fun and informative, for fans of National Regular Ordinary Day by Lisa Katzenberger.

EVERY DAY’S A HOLIDAY is Stef Wade’s fifth picture book and first picture book featuring a human! It makes the perfect birthday gift or classroom read aloud. It’s also a great way to inspire families to have some fun all throughout the year.

An activity sheet encouraging readers to create their own holiday is available as a free download. It’s a perfect compliment for classroom or story time.

Stef will be visiting schools and celebrating all sorts of wacky holidays during her visits, both virtual and online. If you’re interested in booking Stef, please email Carole at: [email protected].

Stef Wade Releases 4th Picture Book, MOVING TO MARS

Posted on July 27, 2022 by Stef Wade

Latest discoveries in space have even the youngest scientists excited and local author, Stef Wade, is piquing their interest with her newest picture book, MOVING TO MARS, illustrated by Erin Taylor.

As a follow-up to her best-selling, A PLACE FOR PLUTO, Wade highlights the grumpy Mars, who is unhappy when unexpected visitors arrive. But when they leave, Mars realizes being alone isn’t all that great. Mars reaches out to his space friends for comfort and help. Maybe Mars is a people planet after all!

Author Stef Wade (A Place for Pluto) interweaves friendship and humor throughout the space story and seamlessly connects nonfiction information to the narrative in the back matter.

“Since A PLACE FOR PLUTO released in 2018, I’ve had the best time connecting with students and young readers about space. Their knowledge and interest astound me! I’m so excited to share this book about the possibility of living on another planet.”

Stef hopes MOVING TO MARS continues to push the boundaries of possibility in space with young readers while helping with social emotional themes of learning how to adapt to change.

Stef plans to visit classrooms, both in-person and virtually, to share MOVING TO MARS with students across the United States.

She will celebrate the release of this book with a story time at Barnes & Noble in Brookfield, WI on Saturday, August 20 at 10:30 am. Signed books are also available at Boswell Books in Milwaukee.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Stef Wade is the award-winning author of A PLACE FOR PLUTO, THE VERY LAST LEAF, Q&U CALL IT QUITS, and MOVING TO MARS. Stef holds a BA in advertising from Marquette University and an MBA in Integrated Marketing Communication from DePaul University. Stef is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). Stef was born in Chicago and raised in Des Plaines, Illinois. She currently resides Brookfield, Wisconsin with her husband and three boys.

ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR:

Erin Taylor loves to travel: by plane, train, automobile and pencil. She has lived in three different hemispheres and strives to reflect her world experiences in her artwork. When Erin’s feet are on the ground she loves time with her family, getting lost in the wild, and visiting the zoo. Drawing is a daily necessity, just like eating, which she also enjoys quite a bit!

MOVING TO MARS cover reveal

Posted on February 10, 2022 by Stef Wade

I’m so excited to share the cover to my next book, a fun companion to A PLACE FOR PLUTO…MOVING TO MARS!

I’ve paired up with Author and Blogger Sandra Nickel to share in the fun surprise. For the full reveal post, click here.

Mars likes peace and quiet and is not happy when unexpected visitors start showing up. But when they leave, Mars realizes being alone isn’t all that great.

Maybe MARS is a people planet after all!

As a follow-up to A Place for Pluto, Moving to Mars by Stef Wade, illustrated by Erin Taylor, brings the same mix of humor, science, and friendship to the audience — creating another out-of-this-world reading experience!

Moving to Mars releases August 1, 2022. Pre-sale information and links coming soon.

Stay tuned, space fans! This book will be out of this world!

Author Stef Wade’s 5th Book, MOVING TO MARS

Posted on June 24, 2021 by Stef Wade

I’m over the moon to announce my FIFTH picture book (a whole hand! I know!), MOVING TO MARS, written by me, Stef Wade, and illustrated by Erin Taylor. MOVING TO MARS is published by Capstone and releases in August 2022.

A perfect companion to A PLACE FOR PLUTO, MOVING TO MARS details our favorite red planet who’s not so happy when unexpected visitors show up. But as they leave, Mars realizes being alone isn’t as great as he thought it was. What can he do to make himself a people planet?

Packed with lots of space facts, puns and some old familiar characters, this book is a great addition to any space unit or STEM curriculum.

Stay tuned, space fans! Can’t wait to share another out of this world story with you!

-stef

Q & U CALL IT QUITS available now!

Posted on June 15, 2021 by Stef Wade

I’m QUite excited to announce that Q & U CALL IT QUITS is available now!

For fans of Z Is for Moose and Little i, this hilarious and quirky story about friendship and the alphabet will make young readers excited about letter learning.

What happens when best friends Q and U quarrel? It’s a real quandary, since they have always been quality friends—a true squad.

But sometimes, U wants some time to herself—even though Q is lonely because he doesn’t always fit in with the other letters without her. When the rest of the alphabet notices the split, they decide they want to do the same. And utter chaos ensues!

Can Q and U come together to quell the mayhem and help the letters repair their friendships?

Q & U CALL IT QUITS, illustrated by Jorge Martin, received a starred review from School Library Journal:

“This humorous and punny alphabet book highlighting letter blends features colorful and vibrant digitally rendered illustrations. Letter blends within the text are appropriately highlighted in red, making it easy to share examples with young readers. Wade’s quirky story pairs well with the personified letters in Anne Marie Houppert’s What About X? An Alphabet Adventure.

VERDICT An entertaining recommendation for preschool and early elementary school teachers on a quest for alphabet-themed picture books about letter blending.”

To read the whole review, click here.

Q & U CALL IT QUITS is available everywhere books are sold!

IndieBound

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Q & U CALL IT QUITS Cover Reveal

Posted on October 4, 2020 by Stef Wade

I’m QUite excited to share the cover of my next picture book, Q & U CALL IT QUITS, illustrated by Jorge Martin. This story will be my third picture book and is published by HarperCollins, available June 15, 2021.

Q AND U CALL IT QUITS is a story of two good friends, Q&U. When U gets sick of Q being needy, she sets off for some alone time. When the other letter blends catch wind of the split, they begin to drift apart, creating chaos and confusion. How can the words be spelled without the letter blends?

I’m in love with these two QUirky letters and all the shenanigans they get in to. I’m so excited for you to meet them in June, but for now, feast your eyes on this adorable cover! Jorge’s talents know no bounds. Each page of this book is filled with such detail and whimsy, I can’t stop staring.

The book is available for pre-order through IndieBound and Amazon.