Janet describes her first book, If Kisses Were Colors (Dial, 2003), as “a mother’s love poem” to her children. It was chosen as a Children’s Book of the Month Club main selection in spring, 2003. Her reflections on parenthood and nature run throughout her books A Father’s Song (Sterling, 2006) and A Mama Bug’s Love (Little Simon, 2007). Her work has also appeared in the magazines Shoofly and Highlights.

Her latest book, Tyrannoclaus (Harper Collins, 2009), is a whimsical turn on the beloved Clement Moore poem The Night Before Christmas with an all-dinosaur cast. Janet lives in Connecticut with her husband, their children, and a menagerie of pets.