Laurie Knowlton

Laurie Lazzaro Knowlton began the Slim Jim Watkins series with Why Cowboys Sleep with Their Boots On . Additional titles are Why Cowboys Need A Brand , and Why Cowboys Need a Pardner , both published by Pelican and illustrated by James Rice. She wrote Nana's Rice Pie , also published by Pelican, and illustrated by Joyce Haynes. Mrs. Knowlton knows what is interesting to a child, and during her author visits she captivates them with her own child-like energy.