I'm a journalist by training, a mother by chance and a writer by choice. I love the outdoors and sharing them with my children. I'm working transitioning from a contract graphic design career to a freelance writing one. I work from home with my three kids to keep me occupied.

My passion is ...

making things better.

I know too much about ...

cleaning the bathroom.

My parents always told me ...

be what you want to be, do what you want to do.

My childhood ambition ...

to be a barrel-racing nun.

My favorite memory ...

Each of my children's births.

Why I write ...

I'm compelled to.

What I am reading/watching/listening to ...

Thirteen Moons (reading).

My first job ...

Forest Service trail crew.

My best moment ...

waking up with my husband each morning.

My inspiration ...

my great-grandmother, Zula Hall.

Arts & Humanities > Children's Literature Great children's books about trees

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The summer sun sifts through the leaves, pooling shade on the ground like a length of watered silk. A decade or two ago, this setting would have been irresistible to practically any child. It would beckon with the promise of a treehouse, a tire swing, an imaginary pirate ship or just a cool, shady place for a summer's dreams.

For whatever reason, be it overscheduling, computers or television, many children never learn about that magic coursing beneath the bark of a tree. And now, more than ever, it's important to give children an appreciation of not only trees themselves, but of their n...

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