About

Clifford Banks has always loved storytelling and first put pen to paper as a teenager with a short story. That early experience stayed with him as he honed his skills until a serendipitous bowling game with his cousin turned into a creative brainstorm session. It was just what he needed to propel him into publishing Whittle Me This, his new picture book about an uprooted tree’s continuing journey through life, paralleling three generations of men chasing their dreams.

Clifford’s inspiration for writing is to create a story that his third-grade self would have enjoyed and that also helps foster in his two young nephews’ a lifelong love of reading. He believes a great story is one with relatable characters and expressive storytelling that draw children in. Clifford hopes his young readers come away from his stories with a curiosity for language and the visual arts and that this stays with them long after the book is closed.