When she was ten, Linda Hayward wanted to be a teacher, a writer, and an editor. When she grew up, she became all three. As a writer, she is the author of more than 140 books for children, from picture books to beginning readers. As an editor, she launched First Stepping Stones and Early Step into Reading (Random House) and Road to Reading (Golden Books). As a teacher, she met the boys and girls who are featured in her stories. Linda lives in Naples, Florida.