Sylvia A. Johnson has had a long career as a writer of nonfiction for young people. Her books on scientific and historical subjects have received many awards. A recent title for Atheneum, "Tomatoes, Potatoes, Corn, and Beans: How the Foods of the Americas Changed Eating Around the World," was chosen as a Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies and was also named a 1998 New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age. It was while doing research for that book that Ms. Johnson saw some fascinating old maps, which led her to think about the role of maps in human history and to write "Mapping the World."
In addition to her career as a writer, Sylvia A. Johnson also works as a freelance editor of books and educational materials for young people. She enjoys gardening and traveling, especially to warm climates during cold winters in Minnesota, where she makes her home. Ms. Johnson lives in Minneapolis in a gray-shingled house that she shares with a gray-striped cat named Smokey.
