As a public librarian, classroom teacher and school librarian, Christine McDonnell has been surrounded by children’s books for decades, so perhaps it's no surprise that she's turned her pen to writing them. Her most recent picture book, Goyangi Means Cat, lovingly illustrated by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher, sprang from her experience adopting preschool-age children from Korea. "We lived in a wild world of two languages, gestures, and picture books until gradually the children spoke fluent English," she recalls. In a starred review, Kirkus called it a "sensitive portrayal of international adoption, authentically and realistically done."