Patterson, Raymond M.: - Raymond M. Patterson Jr. is an author and the founder of the independent multimedia publishing group Little Life Skills LLC. His debut release, a series of picture books for children, uses storytelling to foster practical knowledge and social emotional learning skills for application in everyday life. A former teacher, Raymond noticed that students were missing the essential life skills that were necessary to flourish in their young development. With inadequacy in critical thinking ability along with the increase in single parent homes, he saw firsthand that youth were missing out on the proper training to be successful. Inspired to help students prepare for what they face in life, he created a program of books for families, educators, and children to use together, Little Life Skills, to support higher learning as well as critical thinking and problem-solving skills. He hopes his young readers come away from his stories with new competencies that stay with them long after the book is closed.An entrepreneur and motivational speaker, when Raymond isn't writing stories for children, he enjoys working out and watching his daughter play softball. Raymond lives in St. Louis, Missouri.