Readers young and old will be delighted to discover the wonders of Washington State, from its natural beauty (Mount Rainier and evergreen forests), to its famous residents (Jimi Hendrix and Big Foot) and familiar skyline (Seattle's Space Needle). Intriguing facts coupled with beautiful, original artwork make E is for Evergreen an exciting journey. Marie and Roland Smith grew up in Oregon and live on a small farm south of Portland. Roland is the author of many award-winning books for children including Thunder Cave, Sasquatch, Jaguar, Zach's Lie, and The Captain's Dog: My Journey with the Lewis and Clark Tribe, which won the Pacific Northwest Bookseller's Award. Marie and Roland also collaborated on B is for Beaver: An Oregon Alphabet, published in 2003. A professional artist since she graduated from The Art Center College of Design in California, Linda Holt Ayriss also holds a BFA from Pacific Lutheran University, WA. She is the recipient of a silver medal from the Best in the West Society of Illustrators, and has been recognized in the Communication Arts Annual. Linda has taught at Cal State Northridge and is currently mentoring two students in her studio. She lives on Bainbridge Island, Washington, just across Puget Sound from Seattle.
Author
Roland Smith is an American author of young adult fiction as well as nonfiction books for children. Smith was born in Portland, Oregon, and graduated from Portland State University and, following a part-time job at the Oregon Zoo in Portland, began a 20-year career as a zookeeper, both at the Oregon Zoo and the Point Defiancé Zoo in Tacoma, Washington. After working to save wildlife following the Exxon Valdez oil spill, in 1990, he published his first book, Sea Otter Rescue, a non-fiction account of the process of animal rescue. Smith continued to draw upon his zoo experiences for other non-fiction titles, including Journey of the Red Wolf, which won an Oregon Book Award in 1996. In 1997, Smith published his first novel, Thundercave. The book continues Smith's theme, as teenage protagonist Jacob Lansa follows his biologist father to Africa where the father is researching elephants. The Lansa character also appears in 1999 s Jaguar and 2001's The Last Lobo. Other novels by Smith include The Captain's Dog: My Journey with the Lewis and Clark Tribe, Zach's Lie, Jack's Run, Cryptid Hunters, Sasquatch (novel), about a boy who searches for Bigfoot. Peak, the story of a teenage boy obsessed with climbing mountains, Elephant Run and Tentacles(novel). In 2008, Smith published the first book in the series I, Q, titled Independence Hall. Smith's books have won "Book of the Year" awards in Colorado, Nevada, South Carolina, and Florida, as well as in his native Oregon. Smith lives in Tualatin, Oregon with his wife and stepchildren.
