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NANCY VIAU
www.NancyViau.com
Nancy wrote and illustrated her first children’s book, Shaggy, the Dog, at age six. She carefully put it in her Radio Flyer wagon, went on her first book tour, and made sure every neighbor bought a copy for the bargain price of ten cents. Nancy then decided to quit while she was rich and famous, and did not return to writing for thirty-five years.
A graduate of West Chester University with a degree in Elementary Education, Nancy has been a teacher, a librarian, a counselor in an after-school program, manager of a health club, and a fitness instructor. When the youngest of her four children ran off to preschool, she began writing again. Her articles, stories, and poems first appeared in Highlights, Highlights High Five, Ladybug, Babybug, Family Circle, the Philadelphia Inquirer, and many other magazines, newspapers, and anthologies.
Nancy is the author of the following picture books: Splish, Splash! First to Last (2024 Moonbeam Children’s Book Award), Pruett and Soo, Today Is a Beach Day!, First Snow (2019 IPPY/Independent Publisher Book Award), Storm Song, City Street Beat, and Look What I Can Do! Nancy’s first book, Samantha Hansen Has Rocks In Her Head (middle-grade novel for ages 8-12), has been reissued, with an updated look and information. Her other middle-grade titles include: Something Is Bugging Samantha Hansen (2020 Skipping Stones Honor Award for Nature and Ecology), Just One Thing! (2016 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Gold Award) and Beauty and Bernice (2018 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Finalist).
Nancy loves to present programs, in-person and virtually, to elementary school children. With every funny, energetic presentation, she educates kids about the writing process and shares her journey to publication. She confesses to being a kid-at-heart, and easily relates to students of all ages.
Nancy splits her time between the New Jersey countryside, where cows and horses still outnumber the new houses, and the seashore, her favorite vacation spot. Aside from the young readers and terrific teachers she meets, she’s inspired by nature, travel, and her adventurous family.
SHORT BIO
NANCY VIAU
www.NancyViau.com
Award-winning author Nancy Viau specializes in fiction for children ages 2-12. Her picture books include Splish, Splash! First to Last (2024 Moonbeam Children’s Book Award), Pruett and Soo, Today Is a Beach Day!, First Snow (2019 IPPY/Independent Publisher Book Award), Storm Song, City Street Beat, and Look What I Can Do! She is also the author of the middle-grade novels Samantha Hansen Has Rocks in Her Head, Something Is Bugging Samantha Hansen (2020 Skipping Stones Honor Award for Nature and Ecology), Beauty and Bernice (2018 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Finalist), and Just One Thing! (2016 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Gold Award). A former teacher and kid-at-heart, she often visits elementary schools across the country to share her journey to publication and the writing process.