Nancy Loewen writes fiction and nonfiction for kids of all ages. She's published nearly 130 books and has received awards from the American Library Association, the Association of Educational Publishers, New York Public Library, Bank Street Children's Book Committee, and the Association of Writers and Writing Programs. Two of her books have been finalists for Minnesota Book Awards: THE LAST Day OF KINDERGARTEN (2012) and FOUR TO THE POLE (2002; co-written with polar explorer Ann Bancroft). Her picture book for the youngest readers, BABY WANTS MAMA, was named an Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Best Book. She holds an MFA in creative writing from Hamline University, St. Paul.Nancy was born in Mountain Lake, a small town in southern Minnesota. She currently lives in the Twin Cities. Besides reading, her favorite things to do are walking her dog and collecting weird thing from thrift stores. Visit her online at nancyloewen.net and follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.