Throughout her life, Nancy Bo Flood has enjoyed reading, writing, and sharing stories.

In college she wanted to learn about the brain. How do we remember; why do we forget; why we want to try new things? Just how does our brain work? So she became a research psychologist and studied brain development at the University of Minnesota and as a post-doctoral scientist at the University of London. That might seem like a long way from writing books for kids, but it’s not.

Nancy's work has always focused on children and young adults – as a researcher, counselor, teacher, parent, and now as a writer. She has conducted workshops on child abuse, learning disabilities, play therapy, and creative writing. Her work and research has allowed her to live all over the world – in Malawi, Africa, Hawaii, Japan, the western Pacific, and, most recently, the Navajo Nation where she hikes, rides her bike and attends local rodeos.

Nancy has written several books including Navajo Year, Walk Through Many Seasons (Arizona Book of the Year) and Warriors in the Crossfire (Colorado Book of the Year). Her recent titles include No-Name Baby (Top 100 Books of the Year, Bank Street) and Cowboy Up, Ride the Navajo Rodeo, a Junior Library Guild Selection.

Legends and folklore are of particular interest to Nancy, for they hold the magic and mystery of other people’s–or generation’s–beliefs. When we read, we learn–about ourselves and about someone–or sometime–else.

Nancy's “bottom line” message: Read anything and everything. You learn interesting stuff, meet interesting people, and go places you have never been. Read every day. As a kid, Nancy kept a stack of comic books under her bed. And a flashlight! Now she keeps a stack of books next to her bed. You never know when you need a good book.

Visit Nancy online.

Listen to Nancy and illustrator Jonathan Nelson talk about First Laugh—Welcome, Baby! on Charlesbridge Unplugged.

Books by Nancy Bo Flood