Laura Purdie Salas

Laura Purdie Salas is a Minnesota-based children’s author and poet and a former English teacher who has written more than 130 books for young readers. She is known for her lyrical picture books and poetry, including Lion of the Sky: Haiku for All Seasons, the Can Be… series, BookSpeak! Poems About Books, If You Were the Moon, Clover Kitty Goes to Kittygarten, and numerous poetry and nonfiction titles for children. Her work has received honors such as the Minnesota Book Award, recognition as NCTE Notable books, Bank Street Best Books, IRA/International Literacy Association Teachers’ Choice, and selections by the Children’s Book Committee at Bank Street College, among others.

Born and raised in Florida, Salas later moved to Minnesota, where she continues to write and present to young audiences. She is the author of Zap! Clap! Boom!: The Story of a Thunderstorm, a lyrical, science-infused picture book that traces the formation and impact of a thunderstorm and reflects her childhood delight in afternoon storms. Poetry and rhyming nonfiction are her favorite forms, and she regularly shares her love of books, reading, and writing through