Gatos grandes, gatos pequeños

of African American and Russian descent, wrote her first poem at age six. It was called “My Black Kitten.” An avid reader as a child, she worked as a children’s book editor for many years. But she didn’t become a published author until recently, when she began working from home. Bernette and her husband, a children’s book illustrator, live in Brooklyn, New York. They have one grown daughter, whose cat, Lola, often comes over to play.