Liza Woodruff

                         I grew up in Bristol, Rhode Island. As the youngest of three in my family, I spent my days                              watching, listening, daydreaming, and drawing. I have always loved art, children, and                                    animals and had thought I might study to become a veterinarian. College opened me up to                          many other possibilities and I ended up studying art and French. I even spent a semester living                    in Aix-en-Provence, France. 
 

              While completing a second degree in illustration at the Art Institute of Boston (now Lesley                    University College of Art and Design) I worked at children's book review magazine, The Horn Book. I loved the many, many books that arrived Exposure to the many, many books that arrived at the office every day helped focus my artistic interest onto the wonderful illustration of children's books. Upon graduation, with the help of professors, an agent, and with a lot of hard work and persistence, I entered the publishing world. To date, I have illustrated twenty-five books for children!

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It had long been a dream of mine to write my own stories. After many years as an illustrator, I decided to try writing. It took lots of time and practice, but I have now authored four picture books: EMERSON BARKS/Christy Ottaviano Books/Holt 2016, A QUIETER STORY/Margaret Ferguson Books/Holiday House in 2019, and ONCE UPON A WINTER DAY/Margaret Ferguson Books/Holiday House in 2020 which was selected as one of Bank Street College of Education's Best Books of 2020, and PHIL'S BIG DAY/Margaret Ferguson Books/Holiday House, November 2024. My fifth book, MAD, will be published by Holiday House in the summer of 2027.

 

My home is in Vermont, nestled between the Green Mountains and Lake Champlain. Our two children have moved away now and we share our home with two cats and an elderly dog. Nature is a big part of my life and when not working in my studio, I can be found on the lake, on the side of a mountain, or deep in the woods. And, in an unexpected twist of fate, I even live close enough to Canada where I can visit and use my French.