About Karen

Welcome! 

I’ve always loved reading and writing. One favorite childhood book was LET PAPA SLEEP!, about a pair of lively bunny children whose dad was “trying” to take a nap. 

It reminded me so much of my own dad, who had a hard time sneaking in a nap in a busy household with three children underfoot. So, maybe that’s why the first poem I ever wrote had a bunny theme. It went something like this:

A bunny has a small pink nose

And fluffy fur he wears for clothes

With long white ears and little toes

He loves to hop wherever he goes

Well, my second grade teacher loved this poem and that was the first time I ever thought that maybe someday I could be an author. Fast forward many years. I grew up, went to college, got married, became a teacher and raised a daughter and two sons. When my children began to leave the nest, it seemed like the perfect time to jumpstart my writing dreams.

A Dream Come True

I write full-time now. My first picture book, MOON BABIES (Putnam), debuted in 2019! It was soon followed by three lyrical bedtime books with Chronicle Kids – WOODLAND DREAMS (2020), FARM LULLABY (2021), and WHERE THE WEE ONES GO (2022).  My newest nonfiction books are TIME TO SHINE (Groundwood, 2022) and A LLAMA IS NOT AN ALPACA (Running Press Kids, 2022).  More will be announcing shortly. Look for the forthcoming, WAKE UP, WOODLANDS (Chronicle Kids) in spring 2024!

I’m so excited to see where this writing adventure leads me. And to think, it all started with a bunny!

Short Bio

A former teacher, Karen Jameson holds a master’s degree in education. She has found the perfect way to combine her love for language, learning, poetry, and animals in her prolific picture book career. Karen is the author of WOODLAND DREAMS, FARM LULLABY, WHERE THE WEE ONES GO, and the forthcoming WAKE UP WOODLANDS (Chronicle), TIME TO SHINE (Groundwood), and A LLAMA IS NOT AN ALPACA (Running Press Kids) and many more. Karen was awarded the prestigious SCBWI Sue Alexander Grant in 2016, and her accolades continue to grow. Her works have received multiple starred reviews, been chosen for the Bank Street’s Best Children’s Books of the Year list, and are published internationally.

Meet the Grandpets!

I’m a pet grandma. When my kids were growing up, they had a succession of cute hamsters. Now that they’re on their own, there’s been a bit of a pet explosion! I love visiting the grandpets, hearing about their antics and viewing new pictures and posts. Take a gander at my adorable grandbirdy, grandguinea pigs and grandpuppies. Who knows? Maybe they’ll star in one of my books someday!