Margery Facklam never gave much thought to eating bugs until she was served mealworm fritters and cricket tarts at a party at the Buffalo Museum of Science. After receiving a birthday gift of mealworm brittle, she was hooked and was inspired to write Bugs for Lunch. Margery has authored more than thirty books, including The Big Bug Book (Little, Brown), and I Eat Dinner (Boyds Mills Press).

Born in Buffalo, New York, Margery grew up dreaming of becoming an explorer, especially in the Galapagos Islands and the Gobi Desert. She loved science and kept a snake in her bedroom and a variety of animals in the backyard. Her summer job while in high school was at the reptile house of the buffalo zoo where Marlin Perkins was the director before starting his wildlife TV program, Wild Kingdom. "He taught me more about snakes than any number of college courses ever could do."

Margery earned a biology degree from the University of Buffalo where she earned her tuition by taking care of thirteen porcupines and other animals in the biology department's animal house. "I even know how to give a porcupine a bath!"

Writing became a hobby when her children were very young. After earning a master's degree in science education at Buffalo State College, Margery became curator of Education at the Aquarium of Niagara Falls and then Coordinator of Education at the Buffalo Zoo. These opportunities led Margery to realize what children really love to know about natural history.

Recipient of many honors and awards for her books, Margery now visits schools often telling children stories of real animals, real scientists, and her real travels. Her research has taken her to many parts of the world, including the Galapagos Islands and the Gobi Desert. "I am a kind of explorer in a small way as I research books."

Margery Facklam lives in Western New York with her husband.

Books by Margery Facklam