ALLYSUN ATWATER is an educator, author, and a non-practicing attorney. Allysun grew up in Odessa, Texas, where she was a quintessential eighties latchkey kid and an avid reader with an insatiable love of the library. Allysun is a graduate of Southern Methodist University (SMU) with a bachelor's degree in English, and Stanford University with a master's degree in education and a juris doctorate. She has been a decades long practitioner of mindfulness and meditation, which have been key components in her chronic illness recovery plan. Allysun lives in the Houston area with her husband, twin daughters, and two shih tzus. STEVIE LEWIS is an illustrator, avid hiker, and rock climber. After working for several years in animation she now illustrates children's books. She currently resides in Flagstaff, Arizona where she lives with her partner and two little dogs. For part of the year, Stevie Lewis travels out of her van, furthering her passion for art and the outdoors. Her latest illustrated work includes Moon! Earth's Best Friend by Stacy McAnulty, Where is our Library? by Josh Funk, and the upcoming books Tale of the Shadow King by Daniel Haack and Fatima's Great Outdoors by Ambreen Tariq.
In her debut picture book, Atwater creates an empowering look at imagining the life you want to live. Through the pages, readers see a beautiful Black girl with large eyes and beads adorning her locs. The story is well-suited for read-alouds where connections can be drawn and independent context provided. A welcome addition to early elementary and public libraries. -School Library Journal I Am Thinking My Life is a solid affirmation of the steps that any reader might take positively to affect their own world view. -Shelf Awareness