Father Water, Mother Woods

Gary Paulsen is the distinguished author of many critically acclaimed books for young people, including three Newbery Honor books: The Winter Room, Hatchet, and Dogsong. He won the Margaret A. Edwards Award given by the American Library Association for his lifetime achievement in young adult literature. Among his Random House books are Road Trip (written with his son, Jim Paulsen); Family Ties; Vote; Crush; Flat Broke; Liar, Liar; Paintings from the Cave; Woods Runner; Masters of Disaster; Lawn Boy; Notes from the Dog; The Amazing Life of Birds; Molly McGinty Has a Really Good Day; How Angel Peterson Got His Name; Guts; and five books about Francis Tucket’s adventures in the Old West. Gary Paulsen has also published fiction and nonfiction for adults. He divides his time between his home in Alaska, his ranch in New Mexico, and his sailboat on the Pacific Ocean.

Ruth Wright Paulsen is an artist, illustrator, and author of books for young readers. She graduated from the University of Colorado, where she studied painting, and then taught art at a junior high school, which informs her illustrations for children’s books. She frequently collaborates with her husband, author Gary Paulsen, and her illustrations can be seen in his books Father Water, Mother Woods and My Life in Dog Years. She lives and works in New Mexico.