Short biography

I have always loved exploring nature, and I love sharing stories of science and discovery with children through writing. I hold a Ph.D. in the life sciences and worked as a research biologist in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. I now live and write in State College, Pennsylvania. I am the author of more than eighty books for children and teens.

For the press: Please find a press-ready bio here.

Long biography

I was born in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, the second of four children. When I was eight, my family moved to 45 acres in the western Pennsylvania countryside. I spent my childhood roaming woods and fields, splashing in streams, and climbing trees. Nature fascinated me.

I graduated from the University of Massachusetts with a degree in biochemistry. I received my Ph.D. in molecular and cellular biology from the University of Wisconsin, where I researched how plants sense and respond to their environment.

I worked as a post-doctoral scientist at the University of Wisconsin and Penn State University.

Since 2004, I have worked as a professional writer. My first book for children, on polar bears, was published in 2008. To date I have authored more than eighty books on science and discovery, ranging from picture books to nonfiction for teens.

When I'm not writing, I plant gardens, cook and bake, drink coffee, and explore the woods near my home in State College, Pennsylvania. My favorite people to spend time with are my husband, musician Rick Hirsch, and our three children, Anna, Eva, and Ellie.

One of the things I love about being a writer is that I am always learning something new about the world of nature. I love sharing what I am learning with my readers.

Here I am learning to fish in Canada at age 3. As a child, I spent a lot of time outdoors.

This is me at age 4, clearly enjoying my cotton candy. I still love good food.

See the tree on my dress? I loved nature.

Now that I'm grown, I still spend as much time outdoors as possible. Here I am on a waterfall walk with my husband, Rick,

My three daughters love to explore nature too. Here we are hiking in the Appalachian Mountains.

Interviews, blog posts, and more

If you want to learn more about me or my writing, you can…

Read my answers to some questions frequently asked questions

See a list of awards my books have won.

Visit my author's page at Lerner Books.

Read this author interview on Nancy Sanders' Blogzone (January 2014).

See an interview in my hometown paper, The Centre Daily Times (State College, PA) (July 2014).

Check out this author interview with Sue Heavenrich on GROG Blog (September 2016).

Read my Authors for Earth Day Blog post on writing Birds vs. Blades? (December 2016).

Read an author Q&A on the Lerner Books blog (July 2016).
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See my blog post, "Nonfiction truths," on Tara Lazar's StoryStorm 2017 (January 2017).