Emilie Buchwald is the author of two award-winning children’s novels, Gildaen and Floramel and Esteban (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, reissued by Milkweed Editions), and under her maiden name of Daisy Bix, the picture books Buddy Unchained and At the Dog Park (The Gryphon Press). A poet and fiction writer, she has taught literature, poetry writing, writing for children, and speaks frequently about publishing and contemporary literature. A graduate of Barnard College, she has a Master of Arts in English from Columbia University, a Ph.D. in English Literature, and an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from the University of Minnesota. Buchwald is the publisher emeritus and cofounder of Milkweed Editions, the editor or coeditor of 200 books that have won more than 200 awards and distinctions, with a million books in print when she retired in 2003. She has received the McKnight Artist of the Year Award, the Kay Sexton Award for service to Minnesota’s literary community, and, in 2008, the National Book Critic’s Circle Lifetime Achievement Award. Buchwald founded The Gryphon Press in 2006 to bring high-quality children’s picture books about animal issues and the human-animal bond to children and parents.

Floramel and Esteban
Milkweed Editions, 2009
ages 9 to 12, ISBN 978-1571316882

Well-suited for young readers who hover between beginning and intermediate books, this chapter book is about Floramel, a very lonely and bored cow. Rafie, the boy who milks her once a day, is her only company. He sings her calypso songs and talks to her in the morning before he goes off to work in the fish market. While Rafie is away, Floramel learns how to make her own calypso music and how she might surprise Rafie with it. This story, along with Charles Robinson's charming illustrations, is an excellent way to show the symbiotic relationships between animals. As an added bonus, Floramel and Esteban comes with its own version of the song "Calypso Cow," with which children can play and sing along.

Buddy Unchained
illustrated by Joe Hyatt
The Gryphon Press, 2006
ages 5 to 8, ISBN 978-0940719019

What is it like to be kept outdoors on a chain or a rope all day, in all weather, mostly forgotten? This was the life that Buddy, a mixed-breed dog, had before being rescued. Now happy in a loving home, Buddy tells his story in this beautifully illustrated, heartfelt book. Buddy’s tale builds compassion and awareness of animal neglect and abuse. It also sends a hopeful message: Caring humans can and do help. Includes information for adults about resources to contact when animals are in jeopardy.

At the Dog Park
illustrated by Amelia Hansen
The Gryphon Press, 2006
ages 5 to 8, ISBN 978-0940719002

There are dog parks in all but three states, and an increasing number of the nation's 65 million dog owners are discovering their various pleasures. In this first-ever children's book about dog parks, dogs Sam and Lucy eagerly take part in a dog fiesta of movement and fun, running off-leash, free to cavort, to meet and greet, to leap and chase.

Gildaen: The Heroic Adventures
of a Most Unusual Rabbit
Milkweed Editions, illustrated, 2003
ages 9 to 12, ISBN 978-0915943753

Having lost his memory, a boy with magical powers teams up with the rabbit Gildaen to search for his true identity.