Welcome!

Claudia grew up near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She is the third of seven children, all born within
9 and 1/2 years, so she never lacked a playmate! However, there was little time for storybook
reading as her mom was busy raising 7 kids and her dad worked two jobs.  In Kindergarten,
Claudia delighted in rhyming word lessons. A silly picture of “a goat in a coat” is still fresh in her
memory! She quickly became a bookworm when she learned how to read in the first grade.
Reading opened up new worlds and provided enjoyable escapism from a noisy household.
While in first grade, her mom helped her write a rhyming poem that was published in the
elementary school newspaper - she has loved rhyme and writing ever since!

Claudia earned a B.S. and an M.Ed. degree in the field of Speech-Language Pathology and also
received extensive training in the teaching of reading. She maintained her American Speech-
Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) certification during her teaching years and for many years
after retirement. Most of her 35+ years as a speech-language pathologist involved teaching
students in the public schools at all grade levels but primarily special education and general
education students at the preschool and elementary levels.

Claudia encouraged the parents of her preschoolers to read often to their children and to use
the time spent carrying out daily routines as language-rich opportunities- getting dressed,
brushing teeth, taking a stroller walk! She had great fun using available rhymes, songs and
stories for student learning and she created her own as well. She involved as many bodily
senses and actions as possible in the learning process to enhance child developmental skills.
After retirement, Claudia’s love of rhyme inspired her to take a few children’s poetry writing
courses which led to the publication of several poems in children’s magazines/anthologies. The
joy of reading to her sons long ago and now her grandchildren sparked her desire to write a
children’s book as well.

The idea for The Wheels on the Stroller was born one day after Claudia and her young grandson
enthusiastically finished singing and acting out The Wheels on the Bus song. As they set out for
one of their many adventure-seeking neighborhood stroller walks, Claudia zeroed in on the
rotating wheels and spontaneously started to sing “the wheels on the stroller go round and
round.” The verses unfolded easily as the pair encountered flapping-winged birds, children
playing throw and catch in yards, dinging bicycle bells, etc.

The Wheels on the Stroller is a fun way for young children to practice several developmental
skills at once. Most importantly, it serves as a reminder to caregivers to engage fully in the
present moment with young children - to notice, enjoy and talk about the simple things in life
like greeting a neighbor, watching a tree-scurrying squirrel, experiencing the change of seasons.

Claudia is a current member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI).