Rita Lorraine Hubbard
Rita Lorraine Hubbard is a former teacher of over 20 years who now writes children’s books about people who overcome odds with heart and courage. She is the author of THE OLDEST STUDENT: HOW MARY WALKER LEARNED TO READ (Anne Schwartz Books, 2010), which won the 2023 Great Kids Can Read Award (Kansas City, MO); 2022 Texas Bluebonnet Award; 2022 Anne Izard Storyteller’s Choice Award; 2021 SCBWI Crystal Kite, and many other awards and commendations. She has a second picture book called HAMMERING FOR FREEDOM (Lee and Low Books, 2018), which earned starred reviews from SLJ and Hornbook, and won the Lee and Low New Voices Award. Rita is also the author of AFRICAN AMERICANS OF CHATTANOOGA: A HISTORY OF UNSUNG HEROES (The History Press, 2008), which won the East Tennessee Preservation Award and has been adopted as part of the state of Tennessee’s official bibliography. She is a long-standing member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, and a member of Storyteller Academy. Rita lives in Chattanooga, TN. https://ritahubbard.com/