Michèle Dufresne is a former literacy specialist who has turned her commitment to teaching children to read into a major focus of her writing, speaking, and teaching. She is the best-selling author of the Bella and Rosie series and many other fiction and nonfiction books used by teachers nationally and internationally. Her book "Oki and the Polar Bear" won the 2017 Moonbeam Silver Award. Together with Jan Richardson, she has coauthored the best-selling Literacy Footprints Guided Reading system, published by Pioneer Valley Books (PVB), which has become an indispensable part of helping teachers deliver high-quality guided reading to students in K–6 classrooms, along with "The Next Step Forward in Word Study and Phonics," published by Scholastic. Michèle holds a doctorate in education from the University of Massachusetts. She has been Title 1 director and Reading Recovery teacher leader, and has served as a consultant in school districts across the United States.