About the Author

Andrea Sisson earned an Education Specialist Degree from UVA in Curriculum and Instruction. As a reading specialist, she coordinated elementary Title 1 programs and also provided direct intervention to young students. Through her combined experience in early childhood education and Anthropology (linguistics), she considers language development critical and often overlooked. Finally, she found her role as a Visual Arts (K-12) instructor later in her career. She is an avid traveler, explorer, artist, cancer survivor and proud mother of an Air Force officer and pilot. She remains fascinated by the intersection of language, art, and culture. In her own words, "Art is a powerful universal language that supports social-emotional health and resilience which are critical for individuals and communities."

~Following a battle with cancer, the author retired early from teaching and began to illustrate a picture book to help young readers. She was first introduced to the powerful "open-ended" concept of learning while teaching preschool in Lynchburg, Virginia. The polar opposite of rote memorization, it requires ownership by the child. She imagined a book format similar to Legos, in which the building blocks are available but it's up to the child to engage with the material and create meaning. Most importantly, she envisioned a resource that would help parents foster language and critical thinking with their children.

She was greatly inspired by the western landscape of Montana and it was there that her passion to paint was re-ignited as well as her inspiration for the story.

A special thanks to a dear friend, Larry Mirch, for his faith and unwavering optimism.

A Thousand Years-

Montana night sky~ August 2022

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