Natalie Rompella (Author)

natalie-rompella
It all began with a cover of a National Geographic magazine in 1998 that got Natalie interested in insects and resulted in her attempting her first picture book. She has been writing ever since. And she’s gotten to do all sorts of fun stuff for research: test out cookie recipes, talk to cantaloupe farmers, interview an astronaut, go on insect hunts, and even travel to Alaska to see the start of the Iditarod.

Natalie Rompella is the author of more than sixty books and resources for children, including an insect picture book: The World Never Sleeps (Tilbury House) (a 2019 IL Reads selection); a #OwnVoices middle grade novel: Cookie Cutters & Sled Runners (Sky Pony Press); and her newest—a writing workbook: Secrets of Storytelling (Rockridge Press). She is a former elementary and middle school teacher, as well as a former museum educator and curriculum coordinator for the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum in Chicago.

Natalie lives in the Chicago suburbs with her two kids, husband, and dog where she enjoys playing pickle ball, baking, and taking Zumba classes.