Joanne Ryder is the award-winning author of numerous children's books about the natural world, including <I>Little Panda: The World Welcomes Hua Mei at the San Diego Zoo. Some of her other books include <I>Bears Out There, <I>Chipmunk Song, <I>The Snail's Spell, and <I>White Bear, Ice Bear. Before becoming a full-time writer, Joanne worked as a children's book editor in New York City. She lives in California.