A Chookamook Came Over for Breakfast

When Cliff Davis was about seven years old, a thoughtful school teacher encouraged him to write down a story he'd composed, about a horse who hated hay. That little book, handwritten, mimeographed and laminated, was his first attempt to break into the world of literature. "No parent, teacher - or anyone involved in a child's life - should ever underestimate the impact of even the smallest gesture of encouragement," he says. Mr. Davis has been writing ever since. A 1996 graduate of Brigham Young University with a B.A. in journalism, he has been a newspaper reporter, recipient of several first place Virginia Press Association awards, and a school district public relations spokesperson. Born in Cheyenne, Wyoming and raised on Air Force bases around the world, Mr. Davis now lives in Richmond, Virginia, with his wife, Anita; their Jack Russell-Chihuahua, Bunny; a cockatiel named Nina; a fish named Valentine - and more than 1,500 books he hopes someday to read.