Candace Ryan lives and works in a Los Angeles-based toy museum curated by her 5 year-old son. She tinkers with words when she can find her pen in a pile of robots and Japanese monsters. As head of her department, Candace is in charge of cataloging and organizing the museum's extensive collection of owl, bat, and octopus toys. It's not as easy as it sounds, but it sure is rewarding. In her dwindling free time, Candace prefers splitting infinitives over splitting atoms. Clunky puns give her a splitting headache. And she wishes there was some way to share a banana split with Dr. Seuss and Rene Magritte in a Japanese tea garden.ANIMAL HOUSE is Candace's first picture book. Her second book, RIBBIT RABBIT, will be published in 2011 by Walker/Bloomsbury.