Award-winning author Alysson Foti Bourque graduated from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette with a degree in elementary education. She is a certified elementary education teacher and earned a law degree from the Southern University Law Center. After practicing law for six years, she traded in writing trial briefs for writing children’s books. Her books featuring Alycat have been recipients of the NYC Big Book Award, the Mom’s Choice Awards, have been featured in Kirkus Reviews, Publishers Weekly, and People Magazine; and have appeared in the Oscars celebrity swag bag and the Grammy Awards gift bag. Bourque enjoys speaking with children and teachers at schools and libraries and she hopes to inspire others to believe in themselves and their work and to keep pursuing their dreams.