This book is part of a book series called Count Your Way Across the U. S. A. .

This book was published 2006 by Cengage Learning, Inc .

When Kathy-jo Wargin was a young girl, each night after dinner, her mother let her choose between washing the dishes or writing a poem. Before long, she decided that if she grew up to be a writer, she wouldn't have to do any dishes. She has since learned that even though she has published more than twenty award-winning books for children, she still has to wash the dishes. Kathy-jo lives in Minnesota with her husband and her son. Go to her website www. kathy-jowargin. com Kathy O'Malley graduated from Chicago's Columbia College and has illustrated more than 40 children's books, including Murphy's Three Homes: A Story for Children in Foster Care . Kathy works from her home studio outside of Chicago. Visit her at www. kathyomalley. com.