Biography of Author Dr. Ellen Larkin Woodruff

Dr. Ellen Larkin Woodruff lives in the Richmond, Virginia area with her husband, Bruce. Once when at their "river" home in Urbanna, Virginia, a field mouse startled Dr. Ellen Woodruff as Woodruff opened her silverware drawer. The corn had just been harvested at Rosegill Farm, and the mouse was looking for a warm, safe home for the winter. When attending mass at The Church of the Visitation in nearby Topping, Virginia, Dr. Woodruff noticed some discarded Cheerios under the pew in front of her. These two episodes were the genesis for The Tale of Jacob's Journey.

Dr. Woodruff was a middle school English teacher and an elementary special education teacher. Ellen Woodruff became an educational consultant on the mid-Atlantic seaboard from Maryland to South Carolina. Her passion is literacy both in decoding words and in reading comprehension. Children need reading fluency at a young age, and the parents who read to their child and interact through literary discussions give that child a lifelong reading advantage. Young children need to be constantly exposed to new vocabulary and the fascinating world of subtle word nuances.

Biography of Illustrator Dot Samuel

Dot Samuel, a long time resident of Powhatan County, Virginia, enthusiastically loves her church, her family, and her community. She has always had a deep love and appreciation of art. She was nineteen years old and majoring in art at college when her father died. His death caused Dot to change directions and choose a more practical and economically dependable career path. She studied to become a Radiologic Technologist and has been working in this field for more than three decades.

Mrs. Samuel is currently working on illustrating her fifth book. She attributes her success entirely to God's amazing grace. She plans to use proceeds from her illustrations to fund mission trips that she and her incredibly supportive husband, David, can go on in an effort to "pay-it-forward."