Cheryl and Peter Barnes

Peter and Cheryl have been creating children's books for twenty years now! Cheryl has made author visits in schools around the country--presenting a "mice" way to learn about government to tens of thousands of students.

Cheryl uses fun rhyming verse and delightful illustrations as a means to simplify complex concepts about how our government works in memorable, age-appropriate ways.

Cheryl and Peter’s books have won numerous national and regional book awards including the 2010 USA Book New Best Book Award, the National Council for the Social Studies Notable Trade Book for Young People Award, and the Distinguished Authors for a Body of Work Award from the Capital Books Festival. As the owners of VSP Books, the Barnes’s also published the New York Times bestsellers Heartsongs and Journey through Heartsongs by Mattie Stepanek, a young poet with muscular dystrophy whose friendship with Oprah Winfrey catapulted him to international prominence.

Cheryl is an illustrator with a background in architecture and is Creative Director of Little Patriot Press. Peter is a journalist who currently works for Fox Business Network. He has also reported for CNBC, The Wall Street Journal and other news organizations.

Peter and Cheryl Barnes are a husband and wife writing/ illustrating team specializing in educational books for children. They are creators of more than a dozen books, many of which have been featured on numerous top-tier TV and radio shows including The Today Show, C-Span’s Book TV, National Public Radio, and in prominent print outlets such as the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Roll Call, Washington Times, and Child Magazine. They have two grown children and one grandchild and live in Alexandria, Virginia.