Anita Riggio
About the Author
Anita Riggio has illustrated more than twenty books, five of which she also wrote. Her books have garnered such honors as a Parents’ Choice Honor book, NCTE Notable Children’s Book and IRA Teachers’ Choice. Smack Dab in the Middle, her first book for Penguin Putnam, grew from her graduate studies at Vermont College where she received an M.F.A. in 1999.
She lives with her husband in Old Wethersfield, Connecticut. They have two grown children.
Asked about the influence of childhood experiences on her writing, Anita says, “I grew up the middle one of five children, in a noisy, loving Italian-American family. My parents were middle children from large families, too, and our house was the hub of every holiday and most Sundays, it seemed. Relatives of every size, shape and demeanor gathered around that dining room table. I learned a great deal about human nature before I ever left my seat….”
