Jen Lerew began writing and illustrating stories almost from the time she learned to read them, and she grew up certain that she would one day add her own books to the shelves of the local library.

While in high school preparing for further study in illustration, she discovered a brochure for a new program at the California Institute of the Arts devoted to the Disney style of "character animation", and realized she could combine her love of creating stories, filmmaking and acting as an animation story artist. She was awarded a Disney Scholarship, and graduated in 1990. This resulted, happily, in a very productive career: she has worked on the story crews of films for Disney, Turner, Warner Brothers, and most recently-and currently- Dreamworks ("Shrek 2", "SharkTale").

Along the way she's also directed a number of television shows for Warner Brothers, written teleplays, and continued to develop her own picture book stories. Current projects include DOUBLE DOG DAY CARE, based on the experiences of her own two rambunctious dogs, and a modern updating of THE BREMEN MUSICIANS set in her home town of Los Angeles. She's a member of the SCBWI, ASCAP, The Motion Picture Screen Cartoonists' Union, and the Secret Order of the Winking Eye.