Collard, Sneed B.: - Sneed B. Collard III graduated with honors in marine biology from U.C. Berkeley, and has gone on to write more than 75 acclaimed books for young people. His books are known for their high interest and strong, authoritative voice, and have broken new ground both in their style and subject matter. In 2006, Sneed was honored with the Washington Post-Children�s Book Guild Nonfiction Award for his body of work. Sneed�s most recent science book, Fire Birds�Valuing Natural Wildfires and Burned Forests, was a Junior Library Guild selection and named an Outstanding Science Trade Book by the National Science Teachers Association and Children�s Book Council.