Peterson, Cris

Since 1989, Cris Peterson has been writing Huckleberry Bookshelf, a weekly children's book review as well as a family literacy column that is nationally syndicated with Universal Press Syndicate. It appears in papers nationwide, including the St. Paul Pioneer Press, the Dallas Morning News, the Milwaukee Journal, and the Omaha World-Herald. She is the author of several children's books and was named 2004 National Dairy Woman of the Year at the World Dairy Expo to honor her writing and her leadership in the agricultural business. A native of Minneapolis, she is a University of Minnesota honors graduate with a BS in history and geography.Familiar with the harried and hectic schedule of a working parent, Cris focuses most of her time, energy, and writing on kids, cows, and history. She is a full-time dairy farmer with her husband, Gary. They farm three hundred acres in Grantsburg, Wisconsin, milk fifty cows twice daily, and keep busy with their three children.Cris often contributes material to Highlights for Children. Her first story published in the magazine received the Pewter Plate Award for author of the month in October 1989. She has also written articles and features for various magazines and newspapers, including Cricket, the Atlanta Constitution, the Chicago Tribune, the Milwaukee Journal, the Des Moines Register, and Country Today. A frequent speaker about writing, reading, history, and farming, Cris has written Extra Cheese, Please! a book that features photographs of the Peterson's own dairy operation and tells the story of cheese's journey from cow to pizza. Harvest Year is the title of her second photo essay.