Keeping joy and creative learning at the heart of her classroom, Joan Morrow Bast taught elementary school for twenty-seven years. She shared her own writing of poems, songs, and stories with the hope of inspiring young minds to develop as readers and writers. Joan attended Fontbonne University and graduated with a B.A. in Early Childhood Education. Joan grew up in St. Louis, Missouri in a family of storytellers. She remembers the old farmhouse kitchen bubbling over with laughter as her brother told jokes and her dad shared poems and songs. Joan was inspired by her dad’s poetry where he shared his reflections of humanity throughout history. She credits her own lively imagination to her three children who could find wonder and magic simply walking on the trails near their home in Colorado. On a walk one day, Joan began to see the world through the eyes of her grandchild thus creating the story, “The Imagination Tree! Where Dreams Begin!” In this children’s picture book, the tree in young Janie’s backyard tells the story. After a long, lonely winter where Tree rarely sees Janie, spring arrives! Janie and her new friend Vivi include Tree in their imaginative play and Janie shares her dreams with Tree. The illustrations beautifully combine deep thought and whimsical delight, all in the same breath. This is Joan’s first story for publication. Writing for children is the natural progression after years of inspiring generations of children’s creativity.
