Katherine Hannigan is the author of the New York Times bestseller, Ida B...And Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World. She has also written and illustrated the recently released Dirt + Water = Mud, as well as other titles. She has undergraduate degrees in education and mathematics, and painting. Her graduate degree is in studio art. She has worked as an assistant professor of art and design at Iowa State University, and as the education coordinator for a Head Start program in New York. She grew up in western New York, and lives in Iowa.