Jennifer Thermes, born on January 24th, in Port Washington, New York, loved to draw and illustrate from a very young age. She attended the Parsons School of Design in Manhattan. She worked in magazine publishing for a number of years.

Jennifer's first book, When I Was Built, was published in 2001. Her second book, Sam Bennett's New Shoes, was published by Carolrhoda in 2006. She continues to write and illustrate books. She is also well-known for her whimsical maps.

Jennifer and her family live in a one-and-a-half-story home in Newtown, Connecticut, built around 1720 and once owned by the poet Louis Untermeyer.

—Vicki Palmquist