Author Profiles
Dawn Griffin view profile
Dawn Griffin has a degree in Graphic Design and Illustration from Tyler School of Art.
Her online comic strip "Zorphbert and Fred" has been published in comic collectives and has received many honors.
John Apostal Lucas view profile
John A. Lucas, Professor Emeritus at Penn State University, has written over 200 articles and books on the history of physical activity, track and field, and the Olympics. He has gained perspective by participating in a 10,000 meter Olympic trials, coaching track and field in the public schools and at Penn State University, and attending every Summer Olympics for a half-century.
Laura Nadler Scott view profile
Laura has written several kids picture books, short fiction stories and loads of adult and children’s poetry since graduating with an English degree in 1993. She later obtained a juris doctor.
She enjoys reading, writing, walking, karate, pottery and relaxing with friends, while her very favorite activity is spending time with her wonderful son and daughter – her little inspirations.
This is her first published title but more are coming.
Maggie Weir view profile
Maggie Weir graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in art and elementary education. She is known for her whimsical animal murals in local buildings and for her “trompe l’oeil” creations on cutting boards and furniture.
Maggie is curator of the Door County Historical Museum in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin and a “Puppy Counselor” for Leader Dogs for the Blind. She and her husband, Jeff, are currently raising their 20th Leader Dog pup.
Maggie and Jeff live in rural Sturgeon Bay.
Mark Ross view profile
Mark Ross first began combining his musical talent and his love of children in the early 1980’s at the Rainbow School in State College, PA. Ella Jenkins, Hap Palmer, and Mrs. Patty Hild were his biggest influences. Mrs. Hild encouraged Mark to write songs and use his guitar to teach as well as to entertain. This is what he did for six years, before leaving the classroom behind to spend the next fourteen years as a founding member of Queen Bee and the Blue Hornet Band, a popular blues group that toured the Mid-Atlantic, Europe, and Canada, with whom he wrote and recorded six records. During that time Mark, continued to do his brand of music for kids wherever and whenever possible. If he met preschool teachers at a gig and could make their next morning class – he was there. After becoming a dad, Mark changed careers. He opened a guitar shop, started an amplifier business, and in 1998 accepted a position as the Children’s Music Specialist at the Penn State Child Development Laboratory, where he continues to hone his craft.
Phoebe Link view profile
Phoebe Link is an author, poet, musician, and educator, inspiring elementary school children for over three decades. She shares her time between State College, PA and Bar Harbor, MA. Throughout her active life, Phoebe has enjoyed sailing and skiing and sharing her love of life with children.
She received the highest award from the College of Education at Penn State University known as the “Excellence in Education Award” for extraordinary contribution to education. Her biography is included in Marquis Whoʼs Who in American Education and Whoʼs Who among American Women.
Ronald A. Smith view profile
Ronald A. Smith is a noted sport historian and Professor Emeritus at Penn State University. He grew up on a dairy farm in Southern Wisconsin and attended Northwestern University majoring in history and participating on the baseball and basketball teams.
He then played minor league baseball with the Chicago White Sox. Following his Ph.D. at the University of Wisconsin, he spent 28 years at Penn State teaching sport history and researching intercollegiate athletics.
He has published a number of books on sport history
Susan F. Smith view profile
Susan F. Smith is a former elementary school teacher and dedicated pre-school volunteer. She is also a community leader, activist, and loving grandmother.
Suzanne Ridolfi view profile
The author, Suzanne Ridolfi, holds a degree in Psychology and has done Master’s work in Child Psychology.
She and her husband, Joe, live in New Jersey with their three children, Ashley, Nick, and Ryan.
Sue Ridolfi and the Abby's Adventures series can help your kids counteract the effects of the media, build resilience and self-acceptance, and start each day feeling good about themselves!
Virginia Sanders view profile
Though trained to be a high school mathematics teacher, she has always had a passion for drawing, painting, and cartooning. This, together with her abiding love for children and animals, is what triggered the creation of this book.
Her other passion is the protection of wildlife and the environment, and to that end she writes a regular column for the local newspaper having to do with sea turtle conservation and edits and illustrates a piece called "The Marine Scene," emanating from Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium, where she is a long-time volunteer.
