Maribeth Boelts lives in Iowa and has been writing for children for over 25 years. Her titles, "Those Shoes", "Happy Like Soccer", "A Bike Like Sergio's" and "Before You Were Mine" have won a number of awards, with "Those Shoes" in its 30th printing. An early reader from Random House, "The Gingerbread Pup", as well as two picture books, "Kaia and the Bees" and "The Purple Puffy Coat" with Candlewick Press, have recently been published. A former teacher, Maribeth loves meeting and encouraging kids to read and write. "It is, in equal parts, an enthralling and confusing quest trying to crack the code on what makes a child pull a book off the shelf and continue turning the page. Figuring out what makes that same child laugh, feel understood or inspired is what keeps this career ever- interesting. I am so grateful for every reader, and potential new writer."