Claire Pence is a retired educator living in the beautiful River Valley of Northwest Arkansas. She and her husband have four children, eleven grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and a grand dog named Baxter. In addition to pursuing her lifelong love for writing, she teaches a ladies Bible class and helps her husband with his ministerial work.

     She also loves cooking. Currently, she is trying out new recipes and collecting old family favorites, planning to one day write a cookbook. Preparing special meals for her family and teaching her grandchildren to cook are two of her favorite pastimes.

     Claire attended College of the Ozarks, Arkansas Tech University, and University of Central Arkansas. After retiring, in the spring of 2019, she turned her attention to writing, drawing on experiences from nearly forty years in public education. She has been a classroom teacher, a reading specialist, a librarian, and literacy interventionist. She also worked for the Western Arkansas Educational Service Cooperative as a literacy and a school improvement specialist.

     “Looking back, being a librarian was my favorite job,” Claire said. “It was such a joy to select well-crafted, content-rich literature for young readers. I still remember the thrill of opening a box of new books.”

     When writing for children, Claire likes to keep in mind a favorite quote from Charlotte Huck, who established the first children’s literature program at the University of Ohio.

     “Literature records the depths and heights of the human experience. It develops compassion by educating the heart as well as the mind. It helps children entertain new ideas and develop new insight they never had before. It can stretch the imagination, creating new experiences, and enriching old ones. Literature can develop a sense of what is true and just and beautiful.” Charlotte Huck (1982)

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