Hi, my name is Dena Neusner, and I’m new here at Behrman House. I’ve been an editor for more than 16 years, having started out at Puffin Books (a division of the Penguin Group) in New York City, where I discovered a basic truth about editing children’s books—you get to fill your office with toys. Most recently I worked at Parachute Publishing, a small company where I somehow became an expert on farm machines. I added toy tractors to my office collection. A big part of editing for children is just plain having fun with it, whatever the subject matter. I love diving into a topic and absorbing it from a kid’s perspective. With my kid hat on, I can help guide a manuscript so that it will engage the reader while it teaches them something important. I’ve always been interested in education, from my tutoring experience in an adult literacy program, to my work on beginning reader books, workbooks, and nonfiction books, to my involvement in the Jewish learning of my own kids. I’m excited to be here at Behrman House, where I can immerse myself in subject matter that’s meaningful to me. I’ve written a number of books for very young children, including a few books about tractors. I also spend a lot of time reading children’s books for professional development, but I have to admit I love it too much to call it work. I’m having fun with it.
