Tessa is an author-illustrator and all-around nature nerd from coastal North Carolina, where she lives with her husband and their pup, Ahi. A self-taught artist with a nontraditional path to children’s books, she spent several years working as a marine biologist, a background that continues to shape her Earth-minded storytelling. Inspired by childhood days spent with The Magic Treehouse and Calvin and Hobbes, Tessa creates work that celebrates curiosity, adventure, and kids who proudly embrace their quirks. When she’s not drawing, she can usually be found digging in the dirt, taking pictures of bugs, or looking for a snack.