I LOVE making books for children!
I have illustrated and/or written about 40 books, ranging from baby to middle school. Funny early reader books are my favorite genre. Many of my books feature anthropomorphic animals. I find that animal characters can convey humor and meaning on a child's level more readily. Plus, I'm better at drawing animals than people! With my background as a Montessori preschool teacher, I like to combine educational concepts with humor and suspense into my stories. In my series "Silly Thrillers with Peggy the Pig", fears and anxiety are tackled in a humorous way. For example, The Viper incorporates units of time to heighten the suspense and The Aliens Are Coming! uses geography and map-reading skills. The star in these books is a silly pig which helps make the stories not so scary after all. I have found that suspense and humor are a great way to engage young children.
When I approach a new project, I first consider the tone or mood of the manuscript. When I am writing, I can picture what I want the drawings to look like. For me, it's important that the illustrations enhance the writing and add something else to the story. The books that I have illustrated span several age groups. So the style of illustration that is great for a certain age would not be great for a different age. Therefore, my books look similar but not the same.
It has been an honor to have been published by Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins, Dutton, Golden Books, Hyperion, Little Brown, Dial and Henry Holt and 20 baby books for KoreaHermannhesse. Thrilled to have received several awards and good reviews for my work, including a nice review from The New York Times!
I grew up on the East Side in New York City, where so many adventures from the books I loved took place: Harriet the Spy in Central Park, Lyle on East 88th Street or Stuart Little in the Conservatory Boat Pond. My mother loved reading to me and sharing her insights on how the illustrations enhanced the stories. I would spend hours in my room writing tremendously original stories about boys being saved from wells by their heroic dogs. Even though I tried my best, I drew terrible pictures to go with them.
I went to Parsons, where I finally did learn how to draw! Also, I got to do the Parsons In Paris summer program which was amazing. Now I live in the Hudson Valley with my husband and we have a grown daughter who is a photographer. My studio is in a renovated chicken coop.
It's been a privilege and a dream come true to write and illustrate books for children.
Awards and Recognition:
Parent's Magazine's "Parents Pick"
Bank Street Book of the Year
Notable Children's Trade Book - Children's Book Council
Children's Choice
Bank Street Book of the Year
Michigan Great Lakes Great Books Award
Delaware Diamonds Award
Miami Herald Best Book of the Year
Parent's Magazine 4 page spread
Positive reviews and/or stars from:
Kirkus
School Library Journal
Booklist
New York Times
