Judi Barrett is an American author and art teacher best known for imaginative children’s picture books, most notably Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and Animals Should Definitely Not Wear Clothing. Raised in Brooklyn, she trained in advertising design before working as a freelance designer and later turning to education, teaching art and woodworking to young children while pursuing further studies in early childhood education and studio arts. She frequently collaborated with illustrator Ron Barrett, creating several popular titles together. Her whimsical storytelling, blending humor with inventive concepts, has made her books enduring favorites, some adapted for film, while she has continued teaching and writing.