I was born and raised in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, the youngest in a family of 4 kids. As a child, I loved to watch "Captain Kangaroo" and remember him reading wonderful children's books with beautiful pictures, and I think it was then that I decided I wanted to create picture books. Dancing was my first passion, but I was never very coordinated or graceful, so I shifted my energies into my artwork.After college, I taught art in the public schools in Wisconsin. Teaching and working with children directed me back to children's books and eventually to graduate school.Returning to school, I received a Masters in Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design. After graduate school, I was hired by Hallmark Greetings in Kansas City, where I illustrated hundreds of cards, many of them inspired by my lop-eared rabbit, Claire. I became known as the "Bunny Lady".I now live In Boulder, Colorado and am married to my wonderful husband, James. In 2003, I went on a trip with my family to Guatemala to volunteer at an orphanage teaching art. This experience eventually led us on the path toward adopting our children, Julia and Joe. We finally became a family in June, 2005.Dogs are also a big part of my life and work. I have always felt a special bond with dogs, and have been blessed to have shared my life with so many of them down through the years. I volunteer as a dog walker at the Boulder Humane Society, and some of the truly special ones have wound up coming home with me. They also tend to end up in my books!