All About Betty

CHILDREN’S AUTHOR & ILLUSTRATOR

Author Betty Selakovich Casey

(photo by Rachel Coward)

Bio

Betty Selakovich Casey is the editor of TulsaKids, a monthly award-winning parenting magazine. A former middle school, high school, and college teacher, Casey is the author and illustrator of the picture books The Prince of the Prairie (RoadRunner Press, 2017), That is a Hat (RoadRunner Press, 2014), and May Finds Her Way (RoadRunner Press, 2013), the latter of which was inspired by the true story of an Iditarod sled dog.


Her next book will be the picture book The World is Blue (RoadRunner Press, Spring 2022) with Oklahoma musician Cindy Parks. The book will be Cindy’s debut book and the story is based on one of her original songs with the same title. Betty will do the illustrations.


Betty’s newest book is The Prince of the Prairie, a picture book about an urban buffalo who has never heard of the high plains where bison live and reign.

Her first book, May Finds Her Way, was both a Western Writers of America Spur Award finalist and a Foreword Review Best Book of the Year finalist. Betty’s love of dogs, the outdoors, and a streak of superstition about owls from her Croatian grandfather all enter in to this charming story about teamwork and individual courage. That is a Hat, her second picture book, is informed by her love of animals, the American southwest, and whimsical humor. It was also a ForeWord Review finalist.

Betty’s writing has appeared in Glamour and Oklahoma Today magazines. She also does a weekly morning show segment on “Good Day, Tulsa” for KTUL-TV. She has a master’s degree in English literature from the University of Oklahoma.

Betty lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with her husband, Wes. They have been married for more than thirty years and have three children, Connor, Anna, and Mary. When she isn’t running with her husband or walking her dog, Betty enjoys cooking and trying to grow vegetables in her garden.