Background

Diane Iverson was born on February 20, 1950, in Fresno, California, United States. She is a daughter of Raymond Marion Crouch (a farmer and truck driver) and Elizabeth Sue Wall-Amold (a book-keeper).

Education

Diane Iverson attended Shasta College in Redding, California.

Career

Inverson started her career as a graphic artist at the North Cal Printing, Redding, California, United States, in 1980-1982. Since 1992 she has been a coeditor of A New Communion magazine.

In her award-winning book / Celebrate Nature, Iverson shows three children learning more about the world around them by visiting a meadow, climbing trees, and watching for wildlife. Throughout the story, Iverson illustrates with words and pictures the joy that can be had in spending a carefree day outdoors. Writing in Science Books and Films, reviewer Sister Edna L. Demanche suggested that I Celebrate Nature gives children living in an urban setting the opportunity to learn more about nature as well as provides a window “to the existence of outdoor realities... where the real world can make multi-dimensional impressions and embed memories that the author so ardently wishes young people to have.”

Iverson continues her discussion about the natural world with her 1999 work. My Favorite Tree: Terrific Trees of North America. Here the author discusses the characteristics of twenty-seven trees native to the North American continent. Alongside the illustrations for each tree are “detailed fact boxes” as described by a reviewer for Publishers Weekly. While noting a few flaws in this “handsome book about trees,” Jane H. Bock nevertheless boldly stated in Science Books and Films: “I would encourage the author to write more books about trees.”

Achievements

• Iverson's books are highly appreciated among critics and loved by children. "Discover the Seasons" has been translated into Chinese.

Works

More photos

• book

  • Jabber the Steller's Jay

    (With beautiful illustrations by Diane Iverson, Jabber the...)

    2017
  • With Thine Own Eyes

    (Ronald Tomanio, Diane Iverson and Phyllis Ring describe h...)

    2014
  • Discover the Seasons

    (This naturalist author-illustrator introduces the flow of...)

    2016
  • Josie: A Story of Faith and Survival

    (A True Story that Never Made the History Books. In 1944 Y...)

    2015
  • Hannah's Heart 2017
  • My Favorite Tree 1999

Views

Quotations: "One of the most wonderful memories of raising my two daughters is our storytime. Sometimes they would keep begging me to read until my voice was literally gone. So I suppose I think of a book as an excuse to put a child on my lap. I have been pleased to discover it works with grandchildren too."

"A wonderful extension of that sort of connection is the opportunity to visit thousands of children at schools every year. I am always aware just who my readers are, and I love to spend time with them."

"I live in a passive-solar, rammed-earth house that my husband and I helped build. Sometimes classes visit my house to see my studio and earth house construction. They seem to appreciate the natural connection between writing about the wonders of nature and being a good steward of the earth. I try to live those values, so I insist on recycled paper for my books, hang most of my laundry on a line, and eat a vegetarian diet. My life is pretty simple."

"When I am not out on a trail, speaking to kids, or doing research, I keep myself busy doing a wide range of things. I may be planning a party, growing two hundred plants in my greenhouse for an Earth Day benefit, piecing together a quilt, writing a letter to the editor of the local paper, or exploring Native American ruins. I am curious about a lot of things. I enjoy learning and I enjoy telling children about what I have learned."

"It is simply an extra blessing for me that I get to do the illustrations for my books. I love to draw, and that means I get the thrill and anticipation of the stark white page on the drawing table as well as the computer."

"Being a mother and grandmother gives me a long range perspective on things, I suppose. The world is a beautiful place where we all impact each other, our planet, world peace and the hope of shared prosperity. I think we can have rich, satisfying lives and enjoy the wonders around us while leaving the world better for others. That is the foundation of my writing."

"Curiosity, I think, is one of the most important qualities of anyone who hopes to create books for children."

"I write and illustrate for kids because I want to encourage their creativity, sense of wonder, passion for learning, love of nature, curiosity, joy and idealism. I want children to believe that any dream they work toward can be reached with patience and perseverance. I want to meet them at a heart level, encouraging them to be compassionate, open-minded and fair in all they do. I believe we all have more power for good than we use, and I hope to encourage children to become people who make a difference in the world."

Membership

Inverson is a member of the Coalition for Compassion and Justice (CCJ).

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  The mission of CCJ is to provide vital services, education and advocacy for people living in poverty, leading to a fair and just community for all.

  Coalition for Compassion and Justice , United States

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  Hannah's Heart Fundraiser , United States

Personality

Diane Iverson is interested in charity. She supports the charity organization "Hannah's Heart Fundraiser" in Prescott, Arizona, United States.

Interests

• antiques, backpacking, cooking, native plant gardening, bird watching, sustainable building, ‘"reading books re-lated to the Christian faith, the arts, the environment, or children”

Connections

Diane Iverson married Ronald Olen McDaniel on June 22, 1968, then divorced in 1984. On August 2, 1987 she married Douglas Alton Iverson (a high school English teacher). She has two children from her first marriage: Carla Michele and Kristin Mae.

Father:

Raymond Marion Crouch

Mother:

Elizabeth Sue Wall-Amold

Spouse:

Douglas Alton Iverson

ex-spouse:

Ronald Olen McDaniel

Daughter:

Carla Michele McDaniel

Daughter:

Kristin Mae McDaniel

References

• Contemporary Authors New Revision Series, Vol. 194
  2010
• Diane Iverson - Community | Facebook
• Diane Iverson