ABOUT THE AUTHOR

James A. Dumont grew up near Chicago and later made a home in New York’s Hudson Valley region, where he lived for many years before settling in San Diego.

Most people close to him know him as Jim. Throughout a long career in business leadership, he developed a reputation for looking closely at things: how they work, how they are experienced, and how the details contribute to the whole. His work brought together strategic thinking and creativity with a strong focus on execution, qualities that continue to shape the way he approaches the things that matter to him.

Retirement offered something his professional life rarely did: the time and freedom to follow an idea simply because it was worth exploring. One of those ideas began unexpectedly, with a tiny spider discovered in a bathtub and a simple act of kindness by his partner, Tony. What happened to that little spider after he was carried safely outside? Where might he go? What might he encounter? Those questions eventually became Pip and the Garden of Quiet Wonders.

Creating Pip brought together many things Jim has always valued: curiosity, careful observation, creativity, and a belief that the details often reveal more than we might otherwise see. The process also became an opportunity to learn something entirely new, from shaping a story and its visual world to establishing Hudson Hollow Press and bringing the finished book into the world.

At its heart, Jim hopes Pip encourages children and the grown-ups reading with them to remain curious, to look a little closer, and to recognize that understanding often grows when we take the time to notice what might otherwise be overlooked.