Nat the Rat 2019

Kent Chapman grew up in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, the home of Little League Baseball. He graduated from Lycoming College, a small liberal arts college, where he discovered a passion for science. Kent earned a Ph.D. degree in plant biology from Arizona State University, conducted post-doctoral research in biochemistry at Louisiana State University, and currently holds the rank of Regents Professor of Biochemistry at the University of North Texas. His enthusiasm for children's literature paralleled his experiences as a father of two lovely daughters, and "Pat the Bat" was a project that he and his two daughters, Claire and Meredith, worked on while they were young students at a Montessori school in Denton, Texas. Chapman has authored many scientific publications, but "Pat the Bat" is his first foray into children's books. For the last 23 years, Kent and his wife Kerrie have called Denton, Texas their home. The two are blessed to have many family members nearby in Texas, and some a bit farther away in Pennsylvania, Arizona, and Oklahoma.