Joanne Ryder studied journalism at Marquette University. For several years she was an editor of children's books in New York, before she quit to write full-time. Ryder is an award-winning author whose books offer a unique blend of poetry and science. Her Just for a Day series invites children into the world of wild animals, ranging from a sea otter to Tyrannosaurus rex. Ryder's book, The Snail�s Spell, won a New York Academy of Sciences Book Award. She has been named three times in the annual list of Outstanding Science Trade Books for Children by a joint committee of the Children�s Book Council and the National Science Teachers Association.