Hello!
Welcome to my website!
I am Emily and I write and illustrate picture books.
My current series, Science Pals, is all about science! My main characters are the subjects of their own books: Drop is water, Puff is air, and Ray, who will debut in 2025, is light. They are cute and funny and full of good information! I am very excited about this series. It is a new and fun way to teach science to kids, ages 4-100.
Before I was an author, I was a teacher. And I am all about teaching big ideas with simple words, great visuals, and a bit of humor. Now, more than ever, knowing how our world works is very important if we are to sustain human life on Earth. It sounds serious—because it is! But my books don’t directly discuss the global challenges we face; instead, they show how beautifully this natural system works, so that children first learn to be curious about the wonderful world around them, and then appreciate it and want to keep it safe. My goal is to empower children with knowledge! I hope to boost their interest in nature, science, and education so that they can thrive in this changing world and keep all of humanity moving forward.
I have two children of my own and I love discussing the wonders of life with my kids. I especially enjoy pondering how we are all interconnected: from a tiny drop of water to the stormy skies above us and starry space beyond. Learning about the little things that make up the big things is a beautiful way to start learning about who we are in this great big universe. So the Science Pals start little!
Our future innovators, leaders, and voters are all children today, so I’m reaching out to them. If I can help foster curiosity and creative thoughts from developing minds, then I have done my job. And this world is in luck, because these young critical thinkers are equipped with more information than ever before! I’m optimistic about the future of innovation that awaits us, and I’m thrilled to be part of the education that gets us there
And before Science Pals, there was Joone. She tells a simple story of a day in her beautiful life, living with her grandfather and pet turtle, Dr. Chin, in a countryside yurt. While her book is no longer in print, Joone deserves a spot here on my site because she’s my first and she’s still wonderful! Those who are lucky enough to get their hands on a copy of JOONE will love how sincerely happy she is, living in a wonderland of nature, surrounded by love and beauty.
Why children’s books?
I got into picture books because it has always been my childhood dream. Well, not always. But since I was 8 and an author came to our school to read his book. For some reason, I was starstruck! This guy made his own books! And it was like a fire was lit in me: I wanted to do this! I had to make my own books!
So I made my first picture books when I was in second grade, and I never stopped. When I was 16, I illustrated a picture book for another author, met with a publisher in Boston, got rejected, and then decided I’d be better off doing all the writing and illustrating myself. So I worked on a book about fairies. Two years later, my big Senior Project at the end of high school was my partly finished picture book. (I was beginning to realize that this could take thousands of hours from start to finish!)
Sooooo, 18 years later, my first picture book was published. JOONE is a sweet story about a little girl, her turtle, and her grandpa—with many of my favorite moments of life wrapped into one little book. I have a very special place in my heart for Joone.
And there’s nothing like that first publication! I remember that first phone call with my agent when she accepted me as a client—I was in! And then, 3 years later, that big call from her announcing a deal with Penguin! I had to pull over off the Texas highway and take that call in a big open field where I could whoop and holler! I was so excited to be part of the world of children’s books!
Now I’m so pleased I have been able to make three more books after JOONE. The Science Pals books are something I’m proud to call my own. When I started making DROP, I didn’t plan on writing a science book, it just came about naturally. And now, what started as an artistic ode to water has become a whole series of characters teaching the science of water, air, and light. I’m so happy the Science Pals are getting out there in the world, helping kids understand it. Picture books are where reading begins, and they are often a child’s first introduction to a new subject. Big concepts can be taught through picture books, and that’s what the Science Pals intend to do.
The world needs more science books. I hope these cute characters full of great big information can inspire children to get into science! I want kids to gain greater understanding of the world around them, ask more questions, seek real answers, and dive deeper into science after reading all about what Drop, Puff, and Ray can do.
Yay, reading! Yay, learning! Yay, science!