With a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Vermont and an M.A. in Clinical Practices (Psychology) from the University of Hartford, Lydia Burdick's career has been in human resources. Since 1993, Lydia has been a consultant with an international outplacement firm. In her career, she has designed and led many training programs and written accompanying materials to meet the needs of specific groups.

Lydia developed the concept of the Two-Lap Book™ series in the course of caring for her mother who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 1998. The idea for an adult book with illustrations and simple text relating to activities older people still enjoyed occurred to Lydia when she realized that she didn't know if her mother was actually reading or enjoying the magazines she was given to browse through. Lydia looked for uplifting, appropriate material to read with her mother to determine her mother's residual reading skills.

When she couldn't purchase this type of book at any bookstores, she decided to write her own with an optimistic outlook and illustrations of older people that would bring smiles to both her mother's face and her own. Before her mother passed away in 2003, the two of them shared many warm interactions reading the material together and conversing about the illustrations. Lydia's first two books in the Two-Lap Book™ series, The Sunshine on My Face (2004) and Happy New Year to You! (2006), have been widely praised by professional and family caregivers. Lydia lives in New York City.