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Mark Ortega is the youngest of four boys born to two bilingual parents. His mother worked for Sunnyside Unified School District for many years, and his father worked in construction and owned half of a company in Tucson, Arizona. It was in Tucson that Mark was raised and educated. His nana and tata played a very important role in his life. They were like a second set of parents for Mark. At home, Spanish was the primary language, and his Mexican culture was rich. His mother did all the duties of an excellent housewife, and his father was hardworking and very strict. In school, English was the main language. It was easy for Mark to learn. He still considers himself bilingual but he is not as strong with Spanish as he is English. Since Mark was ten years younger than his next brother, he was always designated the family babysitter. Entertaining all the nieces and nephews was a busy job so books, games and outdoor activities became very important to Mark. It was here at this age when he realized that he had a talent for understanding and helping kids to understand things differently. Now at 30 years old and attending NAU, he hopes to fulfill his goal of becoming an educator.

Lindsey Flora was born and raised in Tucson, AZ. She is pursuing her Bachelor's degree in elementary education through Northern Arizona University at the Tucson campus. Lindsey currently works as a kindergarten teacher's aide for a local elementary school and very much enjoys it. She has known since she was fourteen years old that she wanted to be an elementary teacher. Her love for children, and her passion to make a lasting impression on their lives, has been her motivation to work hard in order to be the best teacher she can be. She feels teaching is one of the most important professions, because teachers have the opportunity to guide children to the next stage of their lives. Lindsey's long-term goal in the field of education is to return to school after a few years of teaching and receive her Master's degree in administration. Ultimately, she would like to be a principal for an elementary school.

We both feel that because we have been surrounded by the beauty of the Southwest our entire lives, this book of free-verse poems, Confetti: Poems for Children, will be an enjoyable way of introducing poems to third graders.