Murphy was born and raised in Rockville, Connecticut, and studied illustration at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD).
MathStart books teach mathematical skills such as identifying patterns, skip counting and solving for unknowns through a combination of storytelling and visual learning strategies.
The MathStart books have received many honors, including being named a Top Ten Nonfiction Series for Young Children by Booklist magazine, a publication of the American Library Association, in and awards from The Bank Street College of Education and The Oppenheim Toy Portfolio.
The Main Street Kids’ Club, an original musical based on six of the MathStart books, was workshopped at Northwestern University under the aegis of Rives Collins.
Published by Charlesbridge, the stories feature the students in Miss Cathy’s class at Ready Set Pre-K in See-and-Learn City.