Nancy McLoughlin grew up strongly disliking the color orange, and this story evolved out of her childish worries over how that crayon must have felt to be such an ugly color.  Nancy went on to obtain her master's degree in education and has spent many years teaching in both elementary and middle school classrooms.  Her experiences prepared her to write children's books that kids love, and to develop story lines that create opportunities for classroom discussions on pertinent topics for children like bullying, inclusion, feeling left out, and being good friends.