(... back) My first book began as a chance meeting with a ladybug. I was sitting outside when a little polka-dotted beetle crawled up a blade of grass in front of me.  She lifted her wings and flew off. Questions popped into my head. What does she eat? Where does she sleep? Who are her enemies?

I read every ladybug book I could find to get answers. I surfed every ladybug website and brought ladybugs into my studio. I dug up a huge part of my backyard and planted a prairie habitat. Once the flowers and grasses filled in, I climbed through on my hands and knees to see what the world looked like from a ladybugs point of view. The flowers were as big as trees. The grass was a dense jungle. 

I sat in the prairie and sketched for hours. As I worked a story formed in my mind. I made a dummy book with my text and sketches and sent it to several publishers who made books I loved. I was so excited when an editor at Henry Holt, Laura Godwin, decided to publish it. The title was always right there in my mind, Bright Beetle. (more ...)