Carol Lerner
Carol Lerner began a love affair with the world of nature during years of study at the Morton Arboretum in Lisle, Illinois. In writing books for children, her hope has been to convey some of her own fascination to her readers. Her books examine the myriad adaptations that enable plants and animals to thrive in environments that are often challenging. She has written on prairie, woodlands, and deserts, and on the wildlife of those habitats. Some of her books concentrate on botany--the mechanisms that allow carnivorous pitcher plants to trap living prey, for example, or the patterns of plant structure that scientists use to group the world's plants into "families," or the strategies by which cacti survive in arid lands.
Some of her recent books (Backyard Birds of Winter, Backyard Birds of Summer) have dealt with attracting and feeding wild birds and with the phenomenon of bird migration (On the Wing). Her newest title, Butterflies in the Garden, features common butterflies and the garden plants that attract them.
She illustrates her own books. The illustrations are detailed, accurate, and handsome.
In her presentations to school groups and others, Carol recounts the background and training that inspired her to write children's books and the protracted struggle to get the first book published. Then she describes the process of making a book, from the standpoint of an author-illustrator: research, writing, revision, editing, more revision, and finally illustration. She usually brings with her some examples of the original art work that has appeared in her books.
Carol Lerner divides her time between homes in Chicago and northwestern Indiana.
Contact Information
E-mail: caroldlerner@hotmail.com
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