“Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.”
—Fred Rogers
Mr. Rogers was right!
Play is fundamental to every child’s emotional and intellectual growth. The beauty of play as “the work of childhood” is that kids can’t get enough of it! Unlike adults who watch the clock and wait for quitting time, kids beg for five more minutes when playtime is ending. We strive to make that playful spirit a central part of everything we create.
Meet Our Creators
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Scott Emmons
Writer and Publisher
Scott Emmons has built his career on a lifelong love of words. After starting out as a professor of Greek and Latin classics at Berea College in Kentucky, he changed course and became a humor writer for Hallmark Cards. He later joined the creative staff at JibJab, where he helped create the popular StoryBots children’s shows for Netflix.
Scott’s books include many StoryBots titles as well as the nutrition fable “Hugo Makes a Change,” written in collaboration with illustrator Mauro Gatti. He founded Brainytops Press in 2022 with the goal of providing fun, playful, imaginative ways for kids to develop their cognitive skills and explore their creativity.
Scott lives in the Kansas City area with his wife Erika, his son Oscar, and their two black cats, Hector and Alex.
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Jeff Daly
Illustrator
Jeff Daly spends his time drawing, painting, sculpting and writing. In addition to his long career as a humor writer and artist at Hallmark Cards, he has made his mark in the fields of editorial cartooning and animation. He currently serves on the board of directors for digiSTORY KC, a Kansas City nonprofit that provides digital storytelling workshops and other educational resources to promote computer literacy among kids in the urban core.
Jeff’s artistic wife Jan and creative daughters Lauren and Kelsey are helpful collaborators on his many projects. The dogs Harry and Kat? Not so much.
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Mike Adair
Illustrator
Mike Adair, who illustrates our just-for-fun rhymes, lives with his lovely wife Laura in the Kansas City area. They have three great kids and an old dog who can usually be found with Mike in the studio. He creates humorous illustrations and pop-up greeting cards for Hallmark Cards. He also writes and illustrates Pee Wee Harris and Tiger's Adventures for Scout Life magazine.
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Donna Van Hooser
Illustrator
Donna Van Hooser is an illustrator, mosaic artist, and instructor who lives in Goodyear, Arizona and teaches mosaic workshops around the country.
After graduating with a BFA in Illustration, she began working at Hallmark Cards creating artwork for a range of greeting cards, primarily for children. She retired after 27 years and moved to Arizona to begin pursuing mosaic work full time. She is a member of the Society of American Mosaic Artists and is a multiple Mosaic Arts International award winner.
With her background in illustration, she tries to incorporate storytelling in her mosaics, using classical and whimsical elements. She learns and grows through experimentation, often finding inspiration from the materials themselves.
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Pete Whitehead
Illustrator
Pete Whitehead’s first “real” job was McDonald’s. He remembers getting in trouble for laying out the frozen patties on the grill in amusing patterns or stopping to sketch the more “interesting” customers waiting for food.
Having to give up his aspirations in the food preparation industry, he followed his other dream, becoming an illustrator. Pete graduated from Rhode Island School of Design and has been a professional digital illustrator/animator for over 20 years. He lives in Cleveland, Ohio with his wife Jenny and their two kids, Bailey and Chelsea.
When Pete’s not spending time with his family or working, he enjoys wood carving, fly fishing and an occasional cheeseburger.
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Mauro Gatti
Illustrator
Originally from Italy, Mauro Gatti divides his time between Los Angeles and New York City. His 15+ years of creative experience have won him multiple awards, including an Emmy. His career spans a variety of media from illustration to creative direction, children’s books to game design. In 2019 he created The Happy Broadcast, a multimedia project that counters today’s fear and hate culture by featuring positive news from around the world. An inveterate pizza lover, he admits to suffering from PPP (pineapple pizza phobia).