Lori E O'Connor

Lori E. O’Connor is a retired educator, nature observer, and children’s book author whose work celebrates the wonder found in the everyday world. After thirty-two years supporting young learners as a teacher, library media specialist, and principal, she now devotes her days to writing stories and journals that help children slow down, look closely, and discover beauty in the natural world.

Lori is the author of Selkies in the Salish Sea, In the Forest, In the Meadow, and the nature-inspired preschool sketchbook My Curious Nature. Her gentle style blends curiosity, mindfulness, and a deep respect for wildlife, encouraging children to become keen observers and thoughtful stewards of the environment.

She lives in the Pacific Northwest in a small cottage surrounded by trees, birds, and the wild friends who often find their way into her books. When she is not writing, Lori can be found roaming forest paths, tending her garden, or collecting stories carried on the wind.

Together with her sister, illustrator Teresa M. Dudik, they create stories that nurture connection, to the earth, to one another, and to the child within us all. Whether you’re reading about the forest at dawn or the meadow at rest, they hope these reading adventures remind you that beauty is everywhere, and one of the greatest gifts we can share.