Diane deGroat grew up in New Jersey. She attended Pratt Institute, graduating in 1969 with a BFA in commercial art. She started her career at Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, designing their first basic reading series for grades K-6.Since 1972 she has been illustrating children's books, with over 130 books to her credit. She has done artwork for many well-known authors, including Eve Bunting, Lois Lowry, and Johanna Hurwitz. Her most recent book for blogger Ree Drummond โ Charlie the Ranch Dogโwas a #1 New York Times and Publisher's Weekly Best Seller. She is currently working on more books for the Charlie series.Starting in 1995, she has been writing and illustrating her own stories. Her "Annie Pitts" chapter books follow the adventures of America's favorite redhead as she strives to be an actressโ but first she must survive third grade! Her picture books about Gilbert the opossum include Roses are Pink, Your Feet Really Stink and Trick or Treat, Smell My Feet. Fourteen additional books are in this series, which has won four state children's choice awards.