Nancy Poydar

American author and illustrator of children's books, Poydar began her career as an elementary school teacher. For 14 years, she taught sixth graders in Concord, MA, using illustrated books to interest her students. Encouraging her students to read, write, and draw, she often invited artists to the classroom. Eventually she put together her own portfolio. She had studied art at the DeCordova Museum in Lincoln, Massachusetts, and the Boston Museum School after she had earned degrees in English and education from Tufts University. She left teaching to pursue a full-time career in illustration, and her first illustrated children's book was released in 1991, "Two Plus One Makes Trouble." She began writing books as well as illustrating them, and three years later, in 1994, her first book was published, "Busy Bee." A busy bee herself, she has authored and illustrated over 10 books in 10 years and illustrated an additional 23 books. The mother of two boys, she finds an endless well of material from her own childhood as well as from her experiences as a teacher and mother.