Children's Book Author-Illustrator

BIO

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Hi! I’m a children’s book author-illustrator, art professor, and transatlantic tree-climber. My picture books include HEDGEHOG NEEDS A HUG, my debut as an author-illustrator, published with Putnam (winner of Pennsylvania's Keystone to Reading Book Award, finalist for Mississippi’s Magnolia Award) and TWILIGHT CHANT, written by Holly Thompson, published with Clarion (a NCTE Notable Book).

My childhood was wildly nomadic – I lived in 17 different homes in 8 states (Pennsylvania and Massachusetts twice, and California three times), and climbed trees in all of them. I also lived on the island of Montserrat in the West Indies, which is small enough that pretty much everyone knew my name.  Moving around so much made me appreciate the importance of friends, no matter how far, which is why friendship is a major theme in my work.

During my travels, I obtained a BA in English from Grove City College, a BFA in Painting from the University of Central Florida, and an MFA in Illustration from Syracuse University, where I got my start as a professor – I taught illustration and animation for many years, which gave me a great appreciation for cinematic shot design in narrative storytelling.

I love painting foxes, cute rodents, and anything with interesting lighting, especially night scenes. Currently, my wandering feet are resting in Dallas, TX, where I still occasionally climb trees – to teach my kiddos how it’s done.