Beverly Vidrine considers music her personal muse. The attachment came in the fourth grade, when she received instruction on an old upright piano twice weekly after school. Today, she plays her antique baby grand for thirty minutes before letting another muse take over. While she writes, classical music plays in the background for relaxation and inspiration. Motivation is never far off. Her eight grandchildren are all illustrated in her books and are among her most cherished critics. She enjoys working with illustrators who read her manuscript and then decide how to illustrate them without her comments. Once the sketches are done, she reviews them and collaborates when necessary. A Louisiana native, Vidrine wrote A Mardi Gras Dictionary, a book that introduces children to the unique language of New Orleans' Carnival season. This success was followed by A Christmas Dictionary, which covers both the secular and religious aspects of the holiday season. In addition to her two dictionary books, Vidrine has written four holiday books centered around the alphabet. St. Patrick's Day Alphabet explains twenty-six Irish traditions, while Easter Day Alphabet teaches the ABCs of Easter, complete with a golden egg hidden on every page. Halloween Alphabet celebrates the traditions of the year's spookiest holiday, and Thanksgiving Day Alphabet illuminates the classic American holiday with an eye on history and adventure. A graduate of the University of Southwestern Louisiana, now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Vidrine earned her bachelor of arts degree in elementary education and has had hands-on experience teaching in elementary schools. She is a member of the Society of Childrenís Book Writers and Illustrators as well as the Writers' Guild of Acadiana. She resides in Lafayette, Louisiana.
