I am a picture book illustrator, author and father of four living on a small farm in Bucks County, Pennsylvania with my wife Krista, four sheep, ten chickens, one German shepherd, two barn cats, two pigs, and a family of barn swallows.
My books have achieved many honors, including the Michigan Reads Award, a Book Sense Hot Pick, Great Lake Book Award, The Gift of Literacy Oregon Book Choice, Amazon Charts Top 20 (multiple times), International Reading Association – Children’s Book Council Children’s Choice title, and YABC Top Ten Picture Book. My books have also been nominated for state book awards in Vermont, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Nevada, Florida (Honor Book), South Carolina, North Carolina, Nebraska, Arizona, and Washington.
I received my formal art training at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, where I was the recipient of the Louis S. Ware European Traveling Scholarship.
Artwork from several of my books is included in the permanent collection of The Mazza Museum of International Art from Picture Books.
In addition to writing and illustrating picture books, I lead interactive presentations at schools, and was selected by the Pennsylvania Association of School Librarians as a top ten visiting author.
My latest work, Turkey’s Birthday Bash, will be released on September 10th, 2024. It’s my eighth collaboration with author Wendi Silvano.