Kathy Stinson's first book, Red Is Best (1982), has been read by generations of children around the world. Her more than 30 titles since include fiction for children, teens, and adults, non-fiction, and books that combine both — like The Man with the Violin (2013), based on the Washington Post’s experiment that had virtuoso violinist Joshua Bell playing in a subway station where almost no one stopped to listen (but children wanted to). For that book, Kathy and illustrator Dusan Petricic shared the prestigious TD Children's Literature Award.

Kathy has enjoyed the privilege of meeting with her readers in every province and territory of Canada, taking part in an international exchange of Canadian and British children's authors, and working with Liberian writers through CODE to develop the first Liberian-authored books for Liberian children. She has worked as Writer in Residence in various Ontario communities and as a Writer In Electronic Residence for the Writers’ Development Trust. Kathy lives with her partner, Peter Carver, and their dog Georgia in Rockwood, Ontario.