Meet Nancy

Short Biography: 

Nancy Castaldo has written award-winning books about our planet for over 20 years from New York’s Hudson Valley. Her love of reading and writing outdoors began in her childhood, when she wasn’t searching for frogs, turtles, and salamanders, and climbing trees. Her curiosity led her to study science. As an environmental educator, Nancy combined all of those interests. She still enjoys spending her time exploring in the wild as she did while researching over two dozen books and many articles.

Nancy writes to inform, inspire, and empower her readers about the world around them. She is represented by Jennifer Laughran of Andrea Brown Literary. 

Long Biography:

Nancy Castaldo has written award-winning books about our planet for over 20 years from New York’s Hudson Valley. Her love of reading and writing outdoors began in her childhood, when she wasn’t searching for frogs, turtles, and salamanders, and climbing trees.

When she was in tenth grade she had the MOST WONDERFUL English teacher, Miss Gilmartin, who encouraged her to submit poetry to magazines and contests. Thanks to her, Nancy’s first publishing credit was a poem published in Seventeen Magazine.

Her curiosity led her to study science in college. When she wasn’t in the laboratory experimenting with the chemical that makes fireflies light, she was outside doing fieldwork and taking photographs.

Nancy’s passion for writing, photography and the environment all came together her senior year. She served as president of the science club, editor of the college’s literary magazine, and was an intern at Audubon Magazine. She was pretty busy.

She continues to combine all of those interests today. Nancy is a certified National Geographic educator and has served on the boards of her local Audubon Society and Girl Scout Council. She is also Regional Advisor Emeritus for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators for Eastern New York.

Her favorite step in the writing process is conducting research. Research has brought her to faraway destinations and work with many, many scientists. She never knows where her research will taker her or what she’ll uncover. Nancy loves sharing her research experiences and methods with children and adults.

Nancy writes books to inform, inspire, and empower her readers about the world around them. She is represented by Jennifer Laughran of Andrea Brown Literary.