(... back) Even though I only kept the animals a few days, I learned so much by watching them and gathering their food. Later I realized it was life cycles that intrigued me. I loved learning how animals grew and changed over time. As I got older I forgot how much I loved it, until I got serious about creating picture books of my own.

Now I live in a rickety, old farmhouse in the Wisconsin countryside. I still make habitats for animals, but on a much larger scale. My house needs work, but the garden is just the way I want it. Some areas are wild and overgrown. There are well-tended flower borders, shrubs that provide food and shelter for birds, bugs, and mammals, and there’s a huge dead tree standing in the front yard where raccoons have raised their kits.

I live here to be closer to nature. As an author I’m amazed at the stories that play out in my own backyard. Love. Death. Birth. Rebirth. As an illustrator there are so many little worlds to explore. (more ...)