Zibby Oneal was born on March 17, 1934 in Omaha, Nebraska. "My mother loved books, both for their content and because they are beautiful objects. Our house was full of them. She read aloud to us a great deal. I can remember finding it miraculous that she could look at the strange black marks on a page and see a story there. I planned to fill pages with black marks of my own as soon as I learned how to make them. Wanting to write goes back that far anyway."¹

"[Our] house ... was full of paintings as well, and though I am no artist, I think in terms of color and composition. All my books have begun with a picture in mind--a character and a place visualized. When I can see these things clearly--almost as if they were a painting on a wall--and then I can begin to write about...