Jama Kim Rattigan

Although I now live in Virginia, I'm actually from Hawaii. Growing up, my older brother, Newton, and I fended for ourselves much of the time while our parents worked. We bicycled all over our hometown of Wahiawa, frequenting the pet shop, Dairy Queen, Ben Franklin, and of course, the public library.

In school, I liked anything having to do with books, words,or stories. My fourth grade teacher published my first piece, a field trip report, in the PTA newsletter. I wrote poetry in high school, and in college I majored in English and took many writing classes.

While teaching high school English in London, England, I met my husband, Len, a native of New Hampshire. Shortly after we moved to Virginia in the early 80's I began writing full time.

Several years ago, we moved into our new house, which we designed and built ourselves. We are surrounded by tall, silent trees and constantly entertained by wild animal friends: Samuel the squirrel, Reynaldo the fox, and Boxcar the land tortoise. A herd of gentle deer, some noisy woodpeckers, and a few skunks, raccoons,wild turkeys, and possums complete the menagerie.

Although we don't have any indoor pets, a lot of teddy bears live with us. Last count was over 300. Who could turn a bear away when he knocks on your front door?

Writing is so challenging that I know I will always be a beginner, even if I live to be a hundred. Meanwhile, I face the unique challenge of capturing riveting moments, painting word pictures, sharing emotions, and trying to find meaning in what I see and experience in life.

Besides the children's books featured on this site, I have published stories and articles in magazines such as Highlights for Children, Crayola Kids, Humpty Dumpty, Children's Digest, Cobblestone, Hopscotch, Aloha, and Country Living.

Currently I am working on some stories set in Hawaii for middle grade readers, as well as easy readers and chapter books written in the same humorous style as TRUMAN'S AUNT FARM.