Auch, Mary Jane

"The Easter Egg Farm" is Mary Jane Auch's first picture book. "I've always wanted to illustrate children's books," she says, "but the ideas that came to me were for older children, so I wrote novels instead. Then one day I had an idea about a chicken, and I thought it would make a good picture book. I've loved chickens since I was little. "The Easter Egg Farm" was inspired by some special hens we raised when my children were young. The hens laid pastel-colored eggs. We never had a chicken as talented as Pauline, but one of our hens laid lavender eggs with pink spots-honest! Those eggs wouldn't...