ABOUT
I spent much of my childhood in the woods behind my family’s home in Connecticut. My brothers and sister and I climbed rock walls and explored streams. In spring, we stomped on skunk cabbages, in winter we sledded down the driveway, and with every outdoor adventure, our imagination took us to new places and invited us to play new roles.
My boyhood dreams of travelling became real as an exchange student–first in Tunisia then later in France. Like in the woods behind my house, I found so much to discover. I also realized that when you explore a new place and meet its people, you discover a lot about yourself.
After finishing college, getting married, and starting my teaching career, I somehow convinced my wife to explore a bit of the world with me. That was 1996. Since then, we’ve lived alongside volcanoes in Indonesia, in villages of the Czech Republic, and amidst skyscrapers in Singapore.
Today, the thrill of exploring a place and its people still draws me to far-off destinations. And now I write about them. My debut picture book, The Floating Field (Millbrook Press), is about one such place.
When I’m not busy teaching, travelling, or writing, you might find me playing board games with my family, fending off eye rolls from my teenage daughters (to be fair they’re often caused by Dad jokes), or trying to calm down our very lively labradoodle, Oakley.
MEDIA BIO
Scott Riley is a teacher by day and children’s book author at night. Scott has spent nearly thirty years teaching in the US, Indonesia, Czech Republic, and Singapore. A member of NCTE, CLA, and SCBWI, Scott is inspired by colleagues near and far. Scott also draws inspiration from the people he meets and the places he explores while living overseas. His debut book, THE FLOATING FIELD: HOW A GROUP OF THAI BOYS BUILT THEIR OWN SOCCER FIELD (Millbrook Press 2021), is about one of those places. Scott currently lives in Singapore with his wife, two daughters, and one very lively labradoodle.