About My Name
Katie is pronounced KAY-tee (the common American pronunciation). Venit is pronounced VEN-it (like Bennett but with a V). Click here to hear my name pronounced.
I prefer to be called Katie, but if you’d like to use a more formal address, please use Ms. Venit.
Short Bio
Originally from Maryland, Katie Venit is the author of picture books and middle grade graphic novels, including USA Today bestseller Forts (Amazon Best of 2025), and Cassini’s Mission: A Spacecraft, a Tiny Moon, and the Search for Life Beyond Earth. She lives in Wisconsin with her family.
Standard Bio
Katie Venit is a children’s author who writes children’s books filled with wonder, humor, and a deep respect for the emotional power of language. Her titles include picture books FORTS (USA Today bestseller, Amazon Best of 2025), and CASSINI’S MISSION: A Spacecraft, a Tiny Moon, and the Search for Life Beyond Earth. Her nonfiction essays have appeared in Literary Mama and Wisconsin Public Radio’s Wisconsin Life.
When not writing, Katie works as an instructional designer for the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire. She bakes too many macarons for her own. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband, children, and the dog they all adore.
Books
Picture Books
Forts
Illustrated by Kenard Pak, Viking Children’s, 2025
National Bestseller, Amazon Best of 2025
A lyrical ode to all the secret spaces in our world.
The world is filled with forts.
Tiny worlds within this world,
safe as coat pockets.
Everyone needs a room of their own. A place to hide and play, ponder and dream. Whether it’s a tree house in the backyard or a blanket fort inside, a fort is a magical place filled with imagination and wonder.
Debut author Katie Venit and celebrated illustrator Kenard Pak have crafted a lyrical celebration of the secret spaces we hold so dear. Forts encourages readers to explore the world around them to find the perfect place where they belong.
Cassini’s Mission: A Spacecraft, a Tiny Moon, and the Search for Life Beyond Earth
Illustrated by Julia Blattman, MIT Kids Press, 2025
Cassini was built to explore Saturn and its moons. Her engineers pack her full of tools that can measure, take pictures, and taste chemicals. It takes her seven years to reach Saturn’s orbit, where she investigates Enceladus, the shiniest moon in the solar system. To the amazement of her scientists back home, Cassini makes a series of incredible discoveries: liquid water, chemicals, and energy—the ingredients for life! But Cassini doesn’t have the right tools or enough fuel to answer the big questions that come next. This bittersweet true story is rich with both science and wonder, with illustrations that capture the breathtaking scale of our solar system. Back matter provides further insight and information, as well as additional educational resources.
Real-life spacecraft Cassini makes surprising discoveries on her visit to one of Saturn’s moons in this graceful blend of science concepts and the awe of space exploration.
Agent
Katie is represented by Joyce Sweeney at the Seymour Agency.
Social Media Links
Sign up for my newsletter. I’ll send you book recommendations for the latest, greatest things I’ve been reading. And occasionally, I will also have news about my own books.
Katie Venit 