Polly Nichols, Ph.D. (right), author of the Clear Thinking program, directed the educational program for the Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Service at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics prior to her recent retirement. She continues her work as a consultant and is in charge of the mental health element of the Iowa Behavioral Alliance . This statewide initiative supports the development of systems of Positive Behavioral Supports and Wraparound in Iowa schools. Her published articles have described therapeutic approaches for classroom settings, a perspective gained through teaching junior and senior high students in private, public, and hospital schools. She also earned an M.F.A. in the University of Iowa Writers Workshop for fiction, an interest that has resulted in the imaginative story-telling format of the Whispering Shadows worktext included in Clear Thinking.

Martha Shaw, B.S. (left), illustrator and co-author of Whispering Shadows, is a research coordinator in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Iowa . For many years, she was an award-winning special education teacher in classrooms for elementary-age students with autism, behavior problems, and learning disabilities. She has been lead teacher for severely impaired children with autism in Chicago and has served as a behavioral consultant to adolescent group homes and public school classrooms.

River Lights, Publishers is an Iowa Targeted Small Business created by Polly Nichols and Martha Shaw, a mother and daughter team with a passion for teaching, children, and books. River Lights is located in Iowa City, Iowa. Your ideas for future publications are welcome. Inquire about training by describing your needs and your audience's and the time frame you are considering. Telephone, write, fax, or send an e-mail message to Polly Nichols at riverlights@msn.com.