Maria Russo is a mother to three curious and engaging children. She is the children’s book editor of the New York Times Book Review, so it is no surprise that she has long loved the written word. She earned her PhD in English and comparative literature from Columbia University where she has also taught. Maria is the co-author of, How to Raise a Reader, which provides masterful guidance to parents, teachers, and others with children in their lives on how to cultivate a lifelong love of books within them.