A young girl and an old woman form a friendship that lasts even after the woman enters a nursing home
Barbara Dugan was born in Wayzata, Minnesota, and now lives there with her husband and two sons. She received her B.A. degree from Gustavus Adolphus College, and she has worked as a registered nurse in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
In Her Own Words...
"I was born and raised in Wayzata, Minnesota. The neighborhood where I grew up was full of kids and trees and middle-class homes. As a child I roamed my neighborhood as a cowgirl, a gas-station attendant, a beauty operator, a spy. By the age of nine the Dairy Queen beckoned. I must go there on my bike. The railroad track stretched endlessly, and there was a big lake to explore. Who could stay home?
"When I was at home, I spent a lot of time drawing. No other activity made me feel quite so good. While drawing, I often held a conversation inside my head. Then the picture became a story; the people on paper had a life.
"During my elementary years I attended a local Catholic school that went through the eighth grade. Most of my teachers were nuns who taught everything from the fine points of the English language to the necessity of carrying a handkerchief. The sisters inculcated a strong sense of social responsibility: We sang at hospitals, wrote letters to servicemen, earned money for the poor. Dare I choose a frivolous future occupation? Certainly not.
"After graduating from high school, I chose Nursing as my college major. My family was surprised, as I had always been "the squeamish one." My mother was grateful for my decision because she had feared I would become an artist, run off to Greenwich Village, and marry a kook.
"As it turned out, I married my high school sweetheart (no kook) and discovered I liked working as a nurse. Medicine fascinated me and so did the very sick babies I looked after in Neonatal Intensive Care. Still, what I wanted to do most of all was write books for children. So after five years I left my job as a nurse and pursued my desire to become a writer. In 1989 I sold my first story, Loop the Loop, to Greenwillow Books.
"The pictures from my childhood are inside me now. But the characters are just as alive as they were then. For me, storytelling is caring about what goes on in all of our lives, the whole human drama. I love writing and look forward to telling many more tales."
James Stevenson is an op-ed contributor to the New York Times. His popular column, "Lost and Found New York," has appeared regularly in the newspaper since 2003. He was on the staff of The New Yorker for more than three decades; his work includes 2,000 cartoons and 80 covers, as well as reporting and fiction. He is also the author and illustrator of over 100 children's books. He lives in Connecticut.
