Lee Wardlaw makes time: She’s the award-winning author of close to 30 books for young readers.

 

Where does Lee get the ideas for so many books?

 

“From my own life,” says Lee. “Corey’s Fire is based on my family’s experiences when our house burned down in a wildfire. The idea for Dinosaur Pizza came from my childhood love of bologna-mustard-and-potato-chip sandwiches. Adopting three cats from our local animal shelter led to my picture book Won Ton – A Cat Tale Told in Haiku. And my years as both a student and teacher gave me lots of creative material for my novel 101 Ways to Bug Your Teacher!”

 

Lee grew up in Santa Barbara, CA, and wrote her first book in second grade. She continued to write poems, stories and plays all through elementary school. At age eleven, Lee and three of her friends formed a rock ‘n’ roll band called The Shooting Stars, with Lee playing guitar and writing many of the songs the girls performed.

 

Lee graduated with honors from Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo, with a B.A. in education, and was a teacher for five years before deciding to write full-time. She received her AMI Primary Diploma from the Montessori Institute of San Diego, and will earn her M.Ed. From Loyola University, Maryland in 2014.  Lee has 30+ years experience presently lively and interactive programs in grades K-8th. She has also taught a variety of classes and workshops for teachers, librarians, parents and aspiring writers.

 

Lee’s books have been honored by the American Library Association, the International Reading Association, the Children’s Book Council, the National Council of the Social Studies, the National Council of Teachers of English, Bank Street College of Education, the International School Librarians Association, and more. She is an active member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators, and belongs to the North American Montessori Teachers Association, Association Montessori Internationale, the Author’s Guild, the California Reading Association, Children’s Literature Council of Southern California and, yes, even the Cat Writers’ Association! 

 

She lives in Santa Barbara, CA, with her husband, Craig Jaffurs; her teenage son, Patterson; and their three former shelter cats: Poi'pu, Papaya and Mai Tai.

Lee Wardlaw