Douglas Florian lives in New York City with his wife and five children where he creates poetic tributes to creatures great and small. He is the acclaimed author and illustrator of over 30 children's books. He won the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award and received an ALA Notable Children' Book Award for "Beast Feast."

As a child, Douglas' teachers would write that he was a good student, but had difficulty following directions. He still does not follow directions in his poetry…he intentional misspells words, uses poor grammar and invents words to suit his purpose. This he jokingly refers to as a poetic license.

According to Douglas, there is only one rule to follow when writing poetry: There are no rules! His poetry demonstrates that words do not have to be literal and mundane. They can be played with and adapted to whatever meanings we choose. "Poetry is not black and white," says Florian. "It is more like the gray and purple area that connects all the things we live in."

The images below represent a broad array of Douglas' work.

Book List
	On the Wing : Bird Poems and Paintings by Douglas Florian March 1996		In the Swim : Poems and Paintings by Douglas Florian April 1997
	Beast Feast : Poems by Douglas Florian March 1996		Insectlopedia : Poems and Paintings by Douglas Florian March 1998
	Mammalabilia : Poems and Paintings by Douglas Florian March 2000		The Monster Motel by Douglas Florian August 1996
	bow wow meow meow: it's rhyming cats and dogs by Douglas Florian March 2003		Summersaultsl by Douglas Florian 2002
	Winter Eyes by Douglas Florian 1999		Autumnblings by Douglas Florian 2003