Welcome to a world of serious silliness!
I have been writing children’s books for over 30 years. I design them to be shared by kids and grown-ups—for fun, for laughter, for learning, and to encourage a love of reading. Whether a book is a retelling of a traditional folktale or an original story told in rhyme, I hope each will be read aloud and enjoyed many times.
To my books, I bring the skills I learned in my other careers: puppeteer, storyteller, and folklorist specializing in world traditions of folktales and fairytales. My books have won honors, including the American Booksellers for Children’s E.B. White Read-Aloud Award and the American Folklore Society’s Aesop Prize. Wild About Books and Antarctic Antics were New York Times picture book best sellers. My all-time favorites honors are the state and national children's choice awards voted on by kids themselves.
Wild About Books
New York Times Picture Book Best Seller
E.B. White Read-Aloud Award
American Library Association Notable Book
IRA-CBC Children's Choice
Q: What happens when a librarian drives a bookmobile into the zoo?
A: Reading, merriment, writing and the construction of a zoobrary.
“The author's sense of playfulness in plot and language (‘llamas read dramas while eating their llunches’; a hippo wins the ‘Zoolitzer Prize’) creates a lavish literary stew.”—School Library Journal (starred review)
“A wonderful advertisement for the joys of a literary life.” —American Library Association Booklist (starred review)
Imagine that! how dr. Seuss wrote ‘the cat in the hat’
“Buoyantly told, rich in insights into the creative process as well as the crafts of writing, illustrating, and storytelling.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“It’s an engrossing and amusing glimpse of creativity in action and the making of a children’s book classic.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Adults and children alike will enjoy reading about Seuss, his funny hats, and all the work that went into making one of the most well-known children's book characters of all time.”—School Library Journal
