Karen Konnerth
ALLi Author Member
Location: United States of America
Genres: Children's general
Based in New Orleans, Karen Konnerth’s extensive experience as world traveling, professional puppeteer became the foundation for her specialization in arts integrated teaching, as well as visual storytelling through writing and illustration for children. She has shared her countless hours of classroom experience developing and implementing arts integrated projects with educators at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and for the U.S. Embassy English Language Specialist Program in Central America, Asia, the Middle East, and South Africa. She has published four picture books: CALLIOPE KATE AND THE VOICE OF THE RIVER (Pelican Publishing 2024), THE SNOWMAN WALTZ (Sleeping Bear Press 2025), HOW I LEARNED TO FLY! (Paper Sun Press 2026), THE CRASH (Paper Sun Press 2026), as well as a work for educators: THE SOPHISTICATED SOCK: Project Based Learning through Puppetry (Paper Sun Press 2018). She illustrates her picture books in a variety of tactile media, from photographs of her hand carved Czech marionettes, to cut and glued, hand painted paper collage.
Karen Konnerth's books
Genres: Children's fiction
Formats: Paperback
Age Groups: 2-5, 5-8
Have you ever wished you could fly? Did you know you can simply by doing what you love? As young artist Wren admires the flying sparrows in a nearby park, she discovers a tiny door at the foot of the old tree. When a fairy emerges, gifting her wings, they fly together on an exciting adventure. But when Wren must lose her wings to return to her regular self, the fairy sings that Wren can keep on flying simply by doing what she loves. As she happily draws her exciting memories, Wren feels herself once more soaring through the sky. The final page asks the reader, “How do you fly?”, to encourage children to explore their passions. Illustrated by the author using hand decorated paper, cut and glued, digitally assembled.
Genres: Children's fiction
Formats: Hardback
Age Groups: 0-3, 2-5, 5-8
One-Two-Three waltzing Snowmen and One-Two-Three-Four marching Penguins on a frozen pond can only lead to trouble - UNLESS they Stop! Listen! and Learn! from each other! In rhythmically rhyming verse that brings the winter scene to life, the Snowmen and Penguins come to share and appreciate the footwork of their newfound partners in a joyful celebration of tolerance and friendship. Fun and captivating illustrations by Emily Neilson draw the reader deep into the magic of winter. The story is followed by a piano chord chart to play and sing The Snowman Waltz as well as a diagram for fingers to dance it! (Sleeping Bear Press 2022)
Genres: History, Adventure, Children's fiction
Formats: Hardback
Age Groups: 2-5, 5-8, 8-11
From her birth on a shanty boat drifting down the Mississippi, to riding a giant catfish, to taming a hurricane with the instrument of her dreams: the blaring steamboat calliope, Kate is a wild, new tall tale American heroine! Illustrations feature the author’s carved wood marionettes. A fact filled information section ties the tale to history, geography, and culture! And includes a popular song played on the calliope to play yourself! The story was inspired by the raucous cacophony of the steamboat Natchez steam calliope, blasting daily across the river to the author’s studio in New Orleans. (Pelican Publishing 2022)