Karen Katz has written and illustrated many books for children, including The Colors of Us , Can You Say Peace , My First Ramadan , Counting Kisses and Where is Baby's Belly Button . Long inspired by folk art from around the world, she was inspired to write her first book, Over the Moon , when she and her husband adopted their daughter from Guatemala, and she wanted to tell the story of welcoming Lena into their lives. Katz loves to paint and experiment with texture, color, collage and pattern. Besides an author and illustrator, she has been a costume designer, quilt maker, fabric artist and graphic designer. Katz and her family divide their time between New York City and Saugerties, New York.