Jan Greenberg celebrates her birthday on December 29th. She taught creative writing and art appreciation at various schools and colleges in and around the St. Louis area. She and her husband began collecting contemporary American art in the early '70s and eventually opened an art gallery. Her three teenage girls inspired her to write for children. Her portrait of Vincent Van Gogh won a Sibert Honor in 2001. Action Jackson, about Jackson Pollock, was published in 2002 and has been named to many best book lists. She has also written books about artist Chuck Close and architect Frank Gehry.