Alumni Careers

Even after 61 books - so far - Nancy Carlson trusts her instincts. “I never really looked into the psychology of kids . . . I just build on my own experiences, and my children’s, and what’s going on in the world.”

Carlson just plain gets childhood, and her droll-but-wise children’s books prove it. In compact adventures such as I Like Me! or Louanne Pig in the Mysterious Valentine, readers see their own foibles enacted by charming animals. One book, Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come!, has been given to every school-starting child in Tennessee for several years now, thanks to a grant from Dolly Parton.

Carlson relies on her own childhood daydreaming – “I wish kids were allowed to play with no adults butting in!” - but she prepares for the future of children’s media as well. “With the help of some MCAD students, we’re doing an app of one of my books – books now lean more towards entertainment, and less on content.“

She happily reads to audiences and leads workshops far and wide. “I’m doing more and more teaching – especially at MCAD – and speaking, and I do enjoy it. I’ve even just written a book, without illustrating it!”