Sarah Ackerley grew up in Waxahachie Texas in a family of seven children. Her parents had a reputation for giving books as gifts for all holidays-Valentine's Day included-and so Sarah had no choice but to read them. Fortunately she loved to read and she developed an early fascination with picture books that she never lost. After earning her BFA from the University of Texas at Austin Sarah began pursuing a career in children's book illustration. She developed her style by looking at hundreds of picture books and constantly drawing character sketches. She currently owns more picture books than regular books and will probably keep it that way as her Amazon shopping cart somehow keeps filling up with children's books that need to be purchased. Sarah lives in Los Altos California with her husband and two fickle cats. She divides her time between illustrating books and creating whimsical paintings and portraits for kids of all ages. Visit Sarah on the web at www. sarahackerley. com. JoAnn Deak Ph. D. is an author and an international speaker educator and preventive psychologist. She also works with parents teachers and other adults who work with children as a consultant to schools worldwide on issues of brain development and gender equality. She is also the author of the award-winning book Your Fantastic Elastic Brain. . Language: English