I grew up in a small country town on the island of O'ahu, where my life centered around books, delicious food and a large, hungry extended family who loved to "talk story." I eventually wrote a book about celebrating the New Year with them called DUMPLING SOUP, which won Little, Brown's first New World, New Voices Multicultural Fiction Contest, and was also named a Smithsonian Notable Book and a Notable Children's Trade Book in Social Studies (NCSS/CBC).Today I live in Virginia, where I continue to enjoy writing stories and essays about all things chewy, crumbly and mouthwatering.Look for me online at my official website (http://jamakimrattigan.com) to learn more about my picture books, and please visit my books and food blog, Jama's Alphabet Soup (http://jamarattigan.com) whenever you're in the mood for a little smackerel of something.