Taylor Norman is the editorial director of Neal Porter Books. She publishes picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, and graphic novels. Taylor aims to make books that are highly attentive and without condescension to the kid reader, books that are classic in feel and groundbreaking in approach, timeless and important, from perspectives unexplored or undervalued. She devotes her energy to helping her creators make each book the best possible version of itself, and cares deeply about publishing books that are welcoming and friendly to as many types of kids as possible, in hopes of making it easy for any child to consider herself a reader—no matter how often, when, or why she chooses to pick up a book. Taylor is especially proud to have edited The Eyes and the Impossible by Dave Eggers (Newbery Medal); Have You Ever Seen a Flower? by Shawn Harris (Caldecott Honor); The Other Half of Happy by Rebecca Balcárcel (Pura Belpré Honor); Ode to a Bad Day by Chelsea Lin Wallace and Hyewon Yum (Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor) and the Lowriders graphic novel series by Cathy Camper and Raúl the Third. Taylor was the 2024 Publishers Weekly Star Watch Superstar.
