Suzanne Kaufman lives in Seattle with her two monkeys, Eleanor and Katie, who sometimes pretend to be girls. Born in the Midwest, Suzanne grew up on healthy doses of Saturday morning cartoons and macaroni and cheese. She has been monkeying around with animation and cartoons since she was little (that's her in the picture back in the 1970s!). Her style is inspired by lots and lots of monkeys and 1950s-era cartoons.
Suzanne knew early on that she wanted to work in animation. After college, she hopped in her car and headed off to Hollywood. On her way, her car broke down in Albuquerque, New Mexico. While waiting for the mechanic, she happened upon a special effects studio. Her curiosity got the best of her, and she went inside for a quick peek. The peek turned into a tour that turned into an interview that turned into a job that turned into a career.
Over the years, she's done everything from animating special effects for Universal and Discovery, to animating award-winning videogames. One of those games—Sly Cooper—won the Children's Title of the Year award. She currently teaches film and videogame animation. I Love Monkey is her first children's book. Stay tuned for more upcoming adventures starring Monkey.
You can learn more about her at www.suzannekaufman.com or on her blog at suzannekaufman.blogspot.com.