Cooper Edens

Cooper Edens is an author and illustrator of more than 25 children's books..[1] He's best known for "If You're Afraid of the Dark, Remember the Night Rainbow" and "Add One More Star to the Night". These works reflect his "horizontal" approach to storytelling. that asks the reader to solve a non-linear string of "problems" ("If you're afraid of the dark ...") rather than follow a hero or heroine through a linear progression of plot points He has also collaborated with other artists on a number of children's books and in compilations of classic children's story illustrations.

History

Cooper Edens (the pen name of Gary Drager) was born and raised in the Seattle area. His parent's house, on Lake Washington, encouraged solitary daydreaming and reading. In first grade, his principal told his mother that he shouldn't return to class because he was too creative. His mom said "Good". He took a year off from school and spent much of his time with coloring books, graduating soon to channeling Monet and Van Gogh with crayons and cardboard.