How to Build Your Own Country

Valerie Wyatt is an award-winning author of more than 14 nonfiction books, many of them about science. She also writes on historical topics and, from time to time, picture books. Asked if she has a favorite book, she says it's always the one she's just finished. She loves writing for children because it's not just about the words. "You have to think about the photographs and illustrations as well and make sure they fit together," she says. "It's like putting together a jigsaw puzzle."Valerie lives in Victoria, British Columbia, with her husband and dog, MacPherson, whose favorite food is cucumbers.Karen Fredericks is an illustrator and cartoonist. After graduating from The Cooper Union in New York City, she spent time as an art director and creative director at various agencies before becoming an illustrator. Karen's award-winning cartoon strip, Is It Just Me?, appears weekly in the Independent newspaper in East Hampton. After graduating college, she published a book of cartoon stories called Modern Love with Arbor House Publishing. The handbound precursor to that book is in the Artist's Book Collection at The Museum of Modern Art.Karen lives in New York City and East Hampton, New York, with her husband, Rick, their two dogs and four very noisy parakeets.

How to Build Your Own Country is an interactive and totally original learning experience that shows kids how to build their very own country from scratch.