Welcome to my web site! I write poems, picture books, and nonfiction books for children and young adults. I'm a graduate of the M.F.A. in Writing for Children and Young Adults Program at Vermont College of Fine Arts. I speak about poetry and writing at schools, libraries, and conferences.
My new picture book, Grow, is out now!
illustrated by Stephanie Fizer Coleman
published by Boyds Mills & Kane
Look for my new picture book, Grow, illustrated by Stephanie Fizer Coleman and published by Astra Publishing, at your favorite bookstore.
Baby Says "Moo!" is now a padded board book from Disney-Hyperion Books. David Walker created the adorable illustrations. Candlewick Press published Waiting Out the Storm with gorgeous illustrations by Susan Gaber. Flip, Float, Fly: Seeds on the Move, a nonfiction picture book, describes the many ways seeds travel. Pam Paparone illustrated it, and Holiday House published it. Flip, Float, Fly: Seeds on the Move is available in hardcover and paperback. My rhyming picture book Sing-Along Song, illustrated by LeUyen Pham, was published by Viking. My first picture book, Cats on Judy, was illustrated by Judith DuFour Love and published by Whispering Coyote Press.
My poems and articles have been published in numerous magazines and anthologies. I've written more than 135 nonfiction books for school and library publishers, and I also write classroom reading and testing material for educational publishers. I've taught writing courses at four Wisconsin colleges.
Besides writing, I enjoy reading (of course!), walking, gardening, canoeing, photography, and baking pies with fancy crusts. I live in Shorewood, Wisconsin, between Lake Michigan and the Milwaukee River.
For more about me, my books, author visit programs, poetry, and news, click the links at the top of this page. Thanks for stopping by!