n 2003, a publisher saw my artwork at a show and asked if I wanted to do a children's book. For the next year I sent concept after concept and got back rejection after rejection--but my perseverance paid off. "One Little Bug" was published in 2004 and received a national award for book design. But the formula wasn't quite right yet. With help from writer/editor Kallie George, I built on the strengths of my first book to create "Saffy" and then the rest of the Simply Small Series. I believe perseverance is an empowering tool that can help children. I try to weave this theme into the Simply Small stories in a way that relates to the everyday challenges little ones face. Each story celebrates a special moment of learning and growing in the life of a child.