When I was a young girl, I wanted to be a teacher. I’d line up my stuffed animals—Billy Bear, Boing Boing, Easter Bunny—in front of a board with magnetic letters and numbers and teach them the alphabet and how to count. In high school I wanted to be a tennis player. I was on the tennis team, and played at our neighborhood tennis club in the summers—and even competed in tournaments. Then in college I thought digging dinosaur bones would be a cool job. Or maybe working at a big time advertising agency.

It wasn’t until after college, when I was working at my own small public relations agency that I decided I really wanted to write children’s books. I was so inspired by the magic that happens when reading a book that I wanted to see if my active imagination and disciplined fingers could create magical moments for kids all over the world. So I started to write, then sent my stories to publishers, and sold my first manuscript in 1992. I’ve been writing ever since.

An Eye for Color: The Story of Josef Albers
illustrated by Julia Breckenreid
Henry Holt, 2009
ages 4 to 8, ISBN 978-0805080728

Because of artist Josef Albers’s more than 25 year devotion to studying the interaction of color, artists and teachers see and teach color in a whole new way. Includes activities, color glossary and wheel.

Awards & Recognition
ALA Notable

The Night Before St. Patrick’s Day
illustrated by Amy Wummer
Grosset & Dunlap, 2009
ages 4 to 8, ISBN 978-0448448527

A brother and sister set traps in their bedrooms hoping to catch a leprechaun and learn where he buried his pot of gold. But leprechauns are tricky!