RICHARD TORREY has written and illustrated eight books, including Sterling’s Ally-saurus & the First Day of School; the popular Beans Baker series for Random House; and the three-book series Almost, Why? and Becausefor HarperCollins. He has also illustrated dozens of books for Simon & Schuster, Golden Books, McGraw-Hill, and Scholastic; had his art published in Highlights magazine, KidCity, and Inside Sports; and created a successful line of greeting cards for Recycled Paper Greetings. Richard lives with his wife and children in Shoreham, NY.