After college, I married. My husband Stuart and I settled in New York City. I illustrated science text books and had a wonderful time. The studio where I worked had thirty artists, photographers, draftsmen, and even typesetters (This was before computers). I learned about and became fascinated by the commercial side of art.

Then my husband and I moved to the family farm in Weston, Vt. to operate our own construction company. Our move came at a time when I was feeling a lack of growth in my work. I had illustrated all kinds of science books but was uncertain what to do next. So I was enthusiastic about our move and our new business. I did office work, architectural design, and drafting. We raised two children.

However, after ten years I needed new challenges. When my second child entered first grade, I took a fast track back into illustration. I enrolled in two Boston schools: the New England School of Art and Design and the Art Institute. While in school my focus shifted and my work became looser and more abstract. Everything I did belonged in a children's picture book.

A typography course was the catalyst for my first book. My assignment was to turn a letter of the alphabet into a representation of something. I turned an A into an owl. Afterwards I thought, if I can turn an A into an owl, why not turn A into something that begins with A. This idea led to my first book, Alphabatics, which won a Caldecott Honor presented by the American Library Association and the Golden Kite Award presented by the Society of Children's Book Writers.

I love the process of writing and illustrating children's books. There is great pleasure in encouraging my readers to go beyond their usual stopping points and make their own artistic discoveries. Children are inventors. They just need situations that bring out that quality of inventiveness. In my books I create those opportunities.