Nina Laden - Click to see all titles by this author.

“Everything is important and you never know where the seed of an idea will come from – so I do journal everything – writing, drawing, I paste things in my journals, and I never tear out the pages.”

Nina Laden was born in New York City, to parents Frieda Savitz-Laden and Bob Laden, both artists. In her youth, she babysat for jazz bass player Bill Crow’s son, and worked as a ski instructor. She began playing guitar at age eight, and wrote her first songs at thirteen (she also learned to play the spoons and the ukulele). She graduated magna cum laude from Syracuse University with a degree in illustration, and took English literature classes with novelist Tobias Wolff. After college, she lived in Atlanta, where she worked as a freelance graphic designer and opened the city’s first espresso bar.

Nina has published over twenty-five books, selling over a million copies. As an author and illustrator, she creates picture and novelty board books, graphic essays, and cartoons. All her books begin in her journals – she’s on her forty-second journal!

She is a stepmom to three grown sons, and lives with her husband, Booth, and their cat, Marley, on Lummi Island, in the San Juan Islands in Washington State.

When Nina is not writing and illustrating, she and Booth go shrimping and crabbing on their fishing boat. She kayaks and paddleboards; forages for wild mushrooms and other food; grows delicious things to eat; and loves to cook, can, and preserve. She also makes jewelry with agates she finds on the beach.