Debbi Michiko Florence is the author of the Jasmine Toguchi chapter book series (JLG selections, the Amelia Bloomer and CCBC Choices lists, and a Cybils Award winner) and the My Furry Foster Family chapter book series. She also writes middle grade: Keep It Together, Keiko Carter; Just Be Cool, Jenna Sakai; and Sweet and Sour, and co-authored a picture book biography Niki Nakayama: A Chef’s Tale in 13 Bites.
Before becoming a full-time writer, Debbi was a classroom teacher, raptor rehabilitator, and a zoo educator. A third-generation Japanese American, born and raised in California, Debbi now lives in Connecticut where she writes in her studio, The Word Nest. Her favorite foods are ramen and sushi and she loves to travel with her husband and daughter.