[1][2] Her first book of poetry for children, Not a Copper Penny in Me House: Poems from the Caribbean, was published in 1993, with illustrations by Frané Lessac.
[3] The anthology of 15 poems about Jamaican culture received a commendation from the Américas Awards for children's and young adult literature.
[12][13] A Shelter in Our Car was adapted into a children's musical by the New York theater company Making Books Sing in 2007.
[14][15] Gunning also holds a master's in education from Mount St. Mary's College in Los Angeles and has studied at the University of Guadalajara.
[2][7] She had a long career as an elementary school educator, working for many years as a bilingual teacher in Los Angeles and teaching English as a second language.