Patricia McKissack is a freelance writer and editor who, along with her husband and co-author, own All-Writing Services, a family business located in St. Louis, MO. They are represented by Marilyn Marlow, Curtis Brown Literary Agency, #10 Astor Street, New York.

The McKissacks are authors of over 100 children's books, from easy-to-reads and picture books to novels, and biographies. Pat's latest book is Look to the Hills: The Diary of Lozette Moreau, a French Slave Girl, New York Colony, 1763, part of Scholastic's Dear America series.

For very young readers, the McKissacks have written titles in the popular Rookie Reader series, published by Children's Press/ Grolier. The McKissack's biographies and picture books have received excellent reviews and awards, especially Flossie and the Fox, published by Dial Books for Young Readers. The Kirkus Book Review called it "a perfect picture book." Available in paperback from Scholastic Publishing Co., Flossie and the Fox continues to be a favorite among teachers and students. In 1989, Pat's Mirandy and Brother Wind, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney and published by Knopf, (now in paperback) was awarded a Caldecott Honor and a Coretta Scott King Award for Illustration by the American Library Association (ALA). Their books have also been featured in Essence, Ebony, and Jet, and the Today Show, Good Morning America, NPR, and local television, newspapers, and radio shows.

Since 1991, the McKissacks have won numerous literary, educational, and civic awards, including the Coretta Scott King Award for Text, the Jane Addams Peace Award, The Boston-Globe/ HornBook Award for non-fiction, and in January 1994, the McKissacks were honored by the NAACP with an Image Award for their book Ain't I A Woman? A Biography of Sojourner Truth. Also in 1998, the McKissacks were awarded the Regina Medal by the Catholic Library Association for a lifetime achievement in children's literature.

Several new McKissack titles appeared on the shelves in 1997-98. They include: Ma Dear's Aprons,  an Ann Schwartz Book, Atheneum Publishing Company, illustrated by Floyd Cooper; A Picture of Freedom: The Diary of Clotee, a Slave Girl, a book in the "Dear America" Series, and Run Away Home, a juvenile novel about the blending of African American and Native American cultures in rural Alabama, circa 1888. Both were published by Scholastic. Richard C. Owens Publishing Company released Can You Imagine? an autobiographical picture book about Pat and Fred. And Young, Gifted, and Determined, A Biography of Lorraine Hansberry  has received rave reviews since its publication in the winter of 1998 by Holiday House.  Let My People Go: Old Testament Bible Stories, an Anne Schwartz Book, Atheneum, released October 1998, received a starred review in Booklist.

In 1991, Pat wrote her first movie script with award-winning author Mavis Jukes. The movie, produced by Disney Educational Productions, titled Who Owns the Sun, won several major film awards. Several McKissack books have been translated into different languages, produced as videos, filmstrips, and The St. Louis Black Rep has adapted McKissack stories for the stage and performed them in their children's theater program.

In addition to writing, the McKissacks are often speakers at educational meetings, workshops, and seminars. Pat is a nationally-recognized storyteller and served as a board member of the National Storytelling Association for six years. Pat was honored as a St. Louis Woman of Achievement (1993) and as a YWCA Business Woman Leader, representing the arts (1992).

Fred serves on the board of The National Children's Book and Literacy Council. He has been called "one of the best researchers in the business," and with good reason. In 1993, he was honored as Tennessee Author of the Year by the Nashville Banner newspaper for his research.

Both McKissacks are 1964 graduates of Tennessee State University in Nashville, Tennessee. Fred's major was civil engineering; Pat's was English. Pat earned an M.A. in Early Childhood Literature and Media Programming from Webster University in St. Louis (1975). In August 1994, the McKissacks were jointly presented with honorary doctorate degrees from the University of Missouri. They are active members of The Olive Chapel A.M.E. Church in Kirkwood, Missouri.

The McKissacks, who have been married since 1964, are parents of three adult children and four grandsons. Pat and Fred live in St. Louis County, Missouri. When they aren't traveling for research, the McKissacks travel for fun.

Click here for short book reviews of some of the McKissack books.