A freelance illustrator for the last 20 years, Dara’s work has never lost that sense of child-like wonder and magical delight. Her spirited artwork has appeared in numerous publications from Your Big Back Yard Magazine to the New York Times. She has illustrated eighteen children's books and written and illustrated four. The Hiccup Cure was translated into six different languages and Warm At Home received a starred review in Publishers Weekly.

To inspire children, Dara visits schools and libraries to show children step-by-step what it takes to put together a picture book, and she teaches illustration at the Rhode Island School of Design, the Danforth Museum School, and the Concord Art Association.