The author of numerous children's books on topics ranging from ecology to ballerinas, Jan Peck and her stories have been featured in dozens of children's publications across the country, including Highlights for Children, Humpty Dumpty, and Chicken Soup for the Kid's Soul. A graduate of the University of Texas at Arlington, Peck is a former freelance editor for Boys' Life Magazine. Now a full-time writer, she has worked as a veterinarian's assistant, a health-food chef, and a high-school librarian.
With a sense of humor and a fearless imagination, Peck has the ability to make children excited about reading and learning. Her title Way Up High in a Tall Green Tree was a Texas Institute of Letters award finalist and its companion, Way Down Deep in the Deep Blue Sea, was a finalist for the Texas Golden Spur Award, in addition to being featured on Nickelodeon.
Peck has been an active member of the Texas Society of Children's Book Writers for twenty-five years, having served as the president, conference director, and program coordinator in addition to holding many other positions. She is the 2008 Critique Group Coordinator for the North Central/Northeast Texas Chapter of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI), and she performs hundreds of school programs each year with fellow Texas author David Davis. Peck's highly interactive presentations and programs focus on promoting literacy and writing skills in schoolchildren across the country. The mother of two grown sons, Peck lives with her husband in Fort Worth, Texas.
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