Career
She began writing when she was encouraged by a professor during graduate school. "lieutenant took me a number of years to make that leap of faith," she states when commenting on becoming a full-time writer That came in 1994 after she published her first picture book
She is the author of the bestselling books and Becoming Naomi León.
Muñoz Ryan has also written several children"s books She has also recently written.
As an immigrant from Mexico, she faced family complications, the death of her father, and racism due to her Hispanic heritage. She is also a twice recipient of the Willa Cather literacy award for writing.
Becoming Naomi León came from a 1997 visit to the Mexican city of Oaxaca to an annual Christmastime event called the "Night of the Radishes".
Some of her work for children has been translated for the Spanish-language market. Muñoz Ryan enjoys little-known facts about celebrities. She believes that her strong female protagonists have stories that deserve to be told.
Two of her muses are Eleanor Roosevelt and Amelia Earhart.
In Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride, illustrated by Brian Selznick, she tells one such story, based on a true event.