Jen Funk Weber
Jen Funk Weber is the author of many puzzle and activity books for young readers, from tie-in books for Hollywood movies (Nancy Drew and the Spiderwick Chronicles) to educational (Vocabulary Fundamentals) to just plain fun (Astounding Activities for Minecrafters, Alaska’s Puzzle Bears, and more). In addition, Jen is the
storyline developer for the comic book series SHEEBA AND THE PRIVATE DETECTIVES and the author of seven books in the series. Her picture book Been There, Done That: Reading Animal Signs is based on her favorite thing in the world to do: search for and watch animals in the wild.
Jen and her husband built a home in Alaska overlooking the Matanuska Glacier where they share their yard (but not Jen’s vegetable garden, if she can help it) with moose, porcupines, snowshoe hares, and squirrels—and occasionally a lynx, coyote, or fox. She tries to remember to look both ways before walking out the door to make sure she doesn’t crash into a moose. She’s had close calls.
Jen loves to travel, especially to visit the homes of wild animals. For a month, she shared a pink house in the Galapagos with hundreds of young marine iguanas. She’s camped with lions in Botswana and eaten lunch alongside elephants in Namibia. She takes care of other people’s pets, and every summer grows enough produce and picks enough wild berries to fill a large freezer.
She also writes for adults about needlework and Alaska tourism, and she regularly interviews award-winning artists for the Mr. X Stitch embroidery blog. Jen enjoys reading, hiking, and baking, and she never met a craft she didn’t want to try.
Jen offers programs at schools, conferences, senior centers, and retail shops (yes, really!) focused on her life, travels, and books. For more photos and information about her stories of her travels and life in Alaska visit her blog.