Tricia Vold has had an interest and appreciation for the natural world since she was a child, which led her to subsequently earn a M.S. in biology. She lives in Chicago, Illinois where she has been a biology teacher for over twenty years. Paul the Planarian is the first picture book she has written and illustrated. Parts of the story are centered around a common lab conducted with planarians her high school students participate in. She became inspired to create Paul the Planarian because she saw a need for this type of book to be shared beyond her classroom. She hopes Paul the Planarian will inspire curiosity about the diversity of life and foster a love for science.