Schreiner, Renate Schalk: - East Prussia, now Poland is where I was born. In 1945 my family fled to the west of Germany. I went to school there and became a kindergarten teacher. In 1964 I immigrated to the United States, eventually becoming a Montessori teacher in Wisconsin, where I worked for many years. Reading to children I learned that one of their favorite subjects were animals. That knowledge I used in later years to create the Olli stories, this time going into the ocean, to introduce a new animal world to young readers. While learning about these creatures they are entertained with rhyming stories and wonderful pictures.Love and respect for all life no matter where we find it is my goal in these books. We are all living on the same planet and need to learn how to share it with everyone no matter who they are and where their home is.