Breanna J. McDaniel is the author of the picture book Hands Up!, a book reviewer, education consultant and researcher. She holds an MA in Children’s Literature from Simmons University and is currently pursuing her PhD in Education at the University of Cambridge with research focused on representations of black children in contemporary picture books. She's the co-founder of Researchers Exploring Inclusive Youth Literature (REIYL) and though she's originally from Atlanta,GA she now splits her time between the US and UK.