Danny was born in Birmingham, Alabama.   He has two brothers and one sister.  “As a kid I was crazy about dinosaurs.

Photo Credit: James Richards

They were my proof that fantastic things could exist, and that meant anything was possible.  I loved Dr. Seuss’ books and Stoo Hample’s book, The Silly Book.  My parents made sure we had lots of books and took us to the library frequently.  My mother liked to read poetry to us before bed.”

In third grade, Danny’s family moved to Tampa, Florida where he got the writing bug.  “My third grade English teacher gave us tough writing assignments, but we didn’t know we couldn’t do them . . . so we did them.” In high school, Danny captained a boat on the African Queen Boat Ride at Busch Gardens.  He played trumpet in his high school band and served as Drum Major.  Danny studied creative writing at Eckerd College and earned a degree in Television Production from The University of Florida.  He has held several different jobs, including television writer/editor/producer, artist, and painting instructor.

Danny Schnitzlein’s first book, The Monster Who Ate My Peas, received two state awards:  Indiana’s 2004 Young Hoosier Book Award, and Virginia’s 2005-6 VSRA Readers’ Choice Award.  The book was also nominated for Readers’ Choice Awards in Maryland, Missouri, and Pennsylvania and was selected to represent the state of Georgia at the 2004 National Book Festival.   The Monster Who Ate My Peas was chosen by the Georgia Department of Education for its “READ MORE” program, and Atlanta Braves Pitcher, John Smoltz, recited the book for a special DVD.  Danny is currently adapting The Monster Who Ate My Peas into a musical play.

Additionally, Danny writes scripts and songs for children’s educational television, including “SALSA,” a show which teaches Spanish, and “The Organwise Guys,” a program about good health.  In his spare time, he loves playing guitar and ukulele, reading, painting, hiking, and watching movies.  He lives in the Atlanta area with his wife, two children, and a golden retriever.  His upcoming books are The Monster Who Did My Math and Trick or Treat on Monster Street.  Visit www.dannyschnitzlein.com to learn more and download lesson plans for The Monster Who Ate My Peas.