Deborah Diesen was in elementary school when she penned her first piece of creative writing, a rhyming poem about a butterfly. She typed it up carefully and showed it to her Mom. “Wonderful!” said her Mom. “But be sure to put a date on it. Writers always date their work.” Those simple words of encouragement gave Debbie a lifelong belief in herself as a Real Writer.

As the years passed, Debbie set aside creative writing. She attended Michigan State University for her undergraduate degree, and then obtained her library degree at the University of Michigan. She found that the role of reference librarian suited her well. But her dream of writing never entirely faded.

After the birth of her elder son, Debbie began writing again. She returned to her early love of rhyme and began to write children’s stories. Hard work, persistence, and lots and lots of luck led to the publication of The Pout-Pout Fish, illustrated by Dan Hanna and published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux. It was beyond thrilling for Debbie when her debut book spent time on the New York Times picture book best seller list and was named by Time magazine as one of the Top Ten Children’s Books of 2008.

The Big-Big Dark, a sequel to The Pout-Pout Fish, will be published in 2010, and Debbie also has another rhyming book, The Barefooted, Bad-Tempered Baby Brigade (Tricycle Press), forthcoming. She hopes there will be other books in her future. But regardless, Debbie will always keep writing.

Debbie thoroughly enjoys visiting schools, libraries, and bookstores. For more information, please email her.

Debbie currently lives in Grand Ledge, Michigan, with her husband and two sons. She writes at least a little something, every single day. And she always puts a date on it.

The Pout-Pout Fish
illustrated by Dan Hanna
Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2008
ages 4 to 8, ISBN 978-0-374-36096-2

The Pout-Pout Fish is a rhyming picture book about a fish who spends his days with his fish-face stuck in a permanent pout. Though his pals try to cheer him up, they have little success. But as the story swims along, an unexpected friend arrives on the scene and helps Mr. Fish to discover that glum isn't really his destiny.

Awards and Recognition
Time magazine’s Top Ten Children’s Books of 2008; 2008 Southern California Independent Booksellers Association (SCIBA) Picture Book Award Winner; 2009 Indies Choice Best New Picture Book Honor Book; 2009 Bank Street College, Best Children’s Books of the Year list, 100th Anniversary Edition; New York Times picture book best seller list for two weeks in 2008

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