athi Appelt was born in the front seat of a Ford as her father drove wildly to the Army hospital at Ft. Bragg, North Carolina. He arrived there just moments after she and her mother met each other for the first time. When the M.P.'s who were chasing him across the fort realized what was going on, they decided not to arrest him. Kathi still loves cars and has never been good at waiting.

She grew up in Houston with two sisters, her mom and dad, and a host of relatives, including step-relatives. There were always pets in the household too, including dogs, cats, mice, and even chickens.

Kathi is the author of over thirty books for children and young adults. Her picture book Bubba and Beau, Best Friends (illustrated by Arthur Howard), won the prestigious Irma and Simon Black Award for Distinguished Children's Literature in 2003. First Lady Laura Bush recorded it for "Radio Disney" in 2003. Oh My Baby, Little One (illustrated by Jane Dyer) was given a Parent's Choice Award, and named by the Children's Library Association as one of the "Top 100 Books for Children." Her young adult fiction, Kissing Tennessee and Other Stories from the Stardust Dance, was chosen as a "Best Book for Young Adults" as well as a "Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers," by the American Library Association. It was also given a Gold Award by Storytelling Magazine and named by VOYA as "Top Shelf Fiction for Young Adults."

Piggies in a Polka (illustrated by LeUyen Pham) was a Booksense 76 choice in 2003. Bubbles, Bubbles was given an Oppenheimer Gold Toy Award and chosen as a "Ten Best Books for Babies" in 2002 by the National Family Resource Council.

She has two collections of poetry. Just People was selected as a "Best Book for Young Adults" in 1996 and designated a "Best Book for the Teen Age" by the New York Public Library. Poems From Homeroom was listed as a "Top Ten Book of Poetry" by Booklist Magazine and was chosen as the title for "Alief Reads" by the Alief Independent School District in Houston, TX.

Her picture book, My Father's House, was released in spring 2007. It's illustrated by Raul Colon and was a featured book on AuthorLink.com. You can read an interview with Kathi there. In May 2008, her first novel, The Underneath, with drawings by David Small, was released from Atheneum. She's currently working on her second novel, tentatively called Keeper.

Kathi Appelt is a highly sought-after speaker at conferences and in schools. She frequently teaches creative writing at Texas A&M University. She is also a member of the faculty at the Vermont College MFA program in Creative Writing for Children and Young Adults.

She and her husband Ken live in College Station, TX with four cats-Jazz, Hoss, D’jango and Peach. Their two sons, Jacob and Cooper, both play the double bass and are away at college studying music. She misses them!