Carol Carrick grew up in a suburb of New York City surrounded by woods and ponds, which gave her the appreciation of wildlfe that appears in many of her books. With a degree in Advertising Art, she worked as a layout artist at several advertising agencies and Esquire, Inc., where she met landscape and portrait painter, Donald Carrick.

After their marriage, she wrote her first picture book The Old Barn for Don to illustrate. They signed their contract two days after their first son, Christopher was born. Christopher's adventures with their dog, Bodger, inspired, SleepOut as well as ten other books that take place around the cabin that Don built in the Northeast Kingdom area of Vermont.

Six years later, the Carricks left New York City and moved to the island of Martha's Vineyard where their son, Paul was born. Before Donald's death in 1989, the Carricks collaborated on thirty-eight books for children from ages four to twelve. Since then, she has authored more than 70 books for children, including , Mothers Are Like That, and The Polar Bears Are Hungry, illustrated by her son, Paul. She also enjoys conducts writing workshops for aspiring children’s writers.