Maggie Swanson wanted to be an artist for as long as she can remember. As a child growing up in New Haven, Connecticut, she spent many hours in her parent's grocery store drawing and coloring pictures with the customers. After graduation from the Rhode Island School of Design, she spent three years illustrating and designing product for Hallmark Cards in Kansas City. Returning to Connecticut, she started her family and her free-lance career. Since then, Maggie has illustrated over 100 books for many different publishers.