Jim Stratton was born on December 25, 1947 in Hartsville, S.C. His parents were James E. and Nellie Stratton. He has one brother, Doyle, who still lives in Hartsville. He has one daughter, Dr. Jennifer No who lives in Little Rock Arkansas with her husband, retired Army captain, Vuong Do. Jim is married to Rebecca, and they now reside in Florence, S.C. Rebecca has two daughters, Elle Poindexter who lives in Portland, Oregon and Emily Pearson who is in Missouri. Jim graduated from Hartsville High School in 1966, then joined the U.S. Air Force as an illustrator in 1966 and served until 1970. He graduated from Florence-Darlington Technical College with an Associate Degree in Drafting and Design Technology in 1974, then worked as a sports editor and staff artist at the Darlington County Tribune from 1972 until 1974. He worked for Sonoco Products Co. in Hartsville until 2009, when he retired. He also has a certificate of graduation from Art Instruction Schools in Commercial Art. During his time at Sonoco, he earned his Bachelor of Art degree from Coker College in Hartsville. He has been painting in oils on canvas for more than fifty years now and taught community interest classes in painting, drawing, and perspective. He and Rebecca now live between Florence and Darlington, S.C. Jim is a volunteer docent at the Florence County Museum of Art, History, and Science. Tod the Tadpole is Jims fifth book and his first childrens book, although he has illustrated two prior to this oneToby and the Miracle (by Joe Poston) and Barney Tales (by Wayne Wallace). His first was View from My Easel (poetry and prose), published in 1997. His second was Waste Deep in Broom Sedge (poetry, essays, and short stories), published in 2009. His third was Screams and Whispers: The Life and Times of a Southern Artist (his memoirs), published in 2014. And his fourth is a novel entitled Imminent Demise (2018).