Anna Grossnickle Hines was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and moved to Los Angeles, California at 11. She studied art at San Fernando Valley State College at Northridge, 1964-67 and then taught preschool in L.A. City Children's Centers, 1967-68, 1969-70. During the next eight years, Hines taught third grade for three years, received her B.A. in Human Development, Elementary Teaching Credential and Parent Education Credential from Pacific Oaks College in Pasadena 1974, and her M.A in 1978. She was a substitute teacher for elementary grades from 1974 to 1975. Hines went on to teach third grade at Columbia Elementary School, Columbia, California, from 1975 to 1978. On Friday, November 13th, 1981,… Hines received an acceptance letter from Greenwillow to publish her book, Taste the Raindrops. A year later she sold Come to the Meadow to Clarion, as well as Maybe a Band-Aid Will Help to Dutton. As of 2003, Hines has had 55 books published. Of those, she has illustrated 45 and wrote 44. She wrote and illustrated 34 of them. Hines also has had short stories included in two anthologies, Haunted House and Dirty Laundry, and two poems in Jane Yolen's Weather Reports.