Lorie Hetrick-Volenberg grew up in the suburbs of a big city, but her family was never away from a campground or a park for long. Her love for nature and animals was instilled in her at a very young age, and she began drawing animals since she could hold a pencil. Later in life, Lorie found herself living her dream out in the country on a small farm with her husband and horses. She started to volunteer at Graham Cave State Park and found that she really enjoyed it, and she was soon hired on as a seasonal naturalist. Part of her work was to research and give educational programs to the public. The other part of her job was to protect and care for the natural resources found within the park. This prompted her to put her research, writing and artistic skills together, and she began to write and illustrate her first children's book. Lorie's pen name, Lena Lichenpold, was given to her by her husband. Lena is a common Norwegian name from her husband's heritage. Lichenpold represents two things. The first is Lorie's love for studying Lichen. The second is a play on Aldo Leopold's last name. Aldo Leopold was one of America's great naturalists who sculpted modern day environmental ethics and was a strong force in the movement for wilderness conservation.
Story, Illustrated list of characters, Illustrated list of animals shown in story, Tallgrass Prairie and Glade information, Activity pages, Glossary of terms
