Victoria discovered her interest in reading and writing both in early adolescence. In 1978 she moved to Los Angeles and worked two jobs. It was at that time she read Writing for Children and Teenagers by Lee Wyndham , and that is when her fate as a writer was sealed. Victoria had decided to write a children's novel. She went to an annual L.A. conference on writing for children where she learned the basics of marketing and submitting work for writers. Then she started writing.
Her first stories were rejected but she kept strong at it. The year after(1979), she managed to sell a story. Then she sold more. And since she has become a multiple award winning author with over 100 published titles to her name. Sherrow has written poetry, short stories, picture books, and articles.
Victoria has taught writing for over twenty years, reviewed children’s books for newspapers, judged writing contests, and done numerous presentations at schools, libraries, and bookstores. She is a long-time member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and served as a judge for the SCBWI’s Golden Kite Award.
The Smithsonian’s Backyard series is a wonderful set of nonfiction based storybooks. Each follows one North American backyard animal through their average day (or night). In this book we follow a skunk, who is out at night in search of his meal. He encounters different creatures, both predator and prey. We learn how skunk can defend himself and what types of things he eats. Interesting and well written text is accompanied by beautiful, lifelike illustrations. Information is presented in a natural way, and children are sure to learn a lot while reading.