Deborah Freedman was an architect once, but now prefers building worlds in picture books. She is the author and illustrator of, most recently, Shy, This House, Once, and CARL and the Meaning of Life. Her books have been translated into seven different languages, adopted in classrooms across the country, and honored with many starred reviews and awards. She lives in a colorful house in Connecticut, where she is always busy at work on her next books. Lost in books and the arts for as long as she can remember, Deborah majored in art history in college and then went on to study architecture. She is the proud mom of four grown children, an adoring grandma of five, and the devoted guardian of many stuffed animals. When she isn’t making picture books or daydreaming, she likes to plant things and watch them grow, and to wander through museums, libraries, and the woods near her colorful home in Connecticut.