The Remsenburg resident is the author of over 60 children's books. Her newest effort, “Renoir and the Boy with the Long Hair,” was just published by Barron’s Educational Series. The book is based on Jean Renoir’s 1962 biography of his father, “Renoir My Father.” Ms. Wax’s book tells the story of young Jean, a model for several of his father’s paintings, who was not allowed to get his hair cut until he was about 6 years old. The long-haired boy, featured in Renoir’s 1898 painting, “Jean Renoir Sewing,” was teased by other children, who said he looked like a girl.

Ms. Wax’s story is the tale of Jean’s final acceptance of himself and his father and the ways his childhood experiences shaped him into an adult no longer afraid to march to the beat of a different drummer.

Ms. Wax credits her own parents, Laney and Harvey, with instilling in her a passion for creativity and uniqueness at an early age. “I can’t remember a tie when we weren’t reading or doing something creative,” Ms. Wax said. “My parents did a great job at encouraging up to follow our passions.”

Admittedly a free thinker who also marches to the beat of a different drummer, Ms. Wax said she thinks it’s important to encourage children to be creative and to explore as much as they can. She said that reading is a perfect way to learn about the world. “You can open a book and fall into a complete other existence...it’s an amazing experience,” she said.

Named for Wendy in the classic children’s book, ‘Peter Pan,” Ms. Wax grew up in Southfield, Michigan, with a younger sister, Naomi, and younger twin brothers, Daniel and Joel. She said one of her earliest memories if of her mother reading to her as a very young child. Her favorite books today are still those written by best-selling children’s authors Astrid Lindgren, Beverly Cleary, Roald Dahl, Jean Little and E. B. White.

Now a mother herself, Ms. Wax said she encourages her 6-year-old son Jonah to express his creativity. The two often spend time painting, sculpting, drawing, and reading together. Ms. Wax is an old hand at teaching children to read, according to her sister Naomi, who is also a writer. The family story is that Wendy taught me to read when I was 2 and she was nearly 4,” Naomi said. “I don’t know if those ages are absolutely correct, but I can’t remember a time when we weren’t reading.” The sisters recently collaborated on a potty training book, inspired by Jonah’s experiences, called “Even Firefighters Use the Potty.” That book is scheduled to arrive on bookshelves by next fall.

A former children’s book editor, Ms. Wax said she has been making up stories since her early childhood though her narratives have improved over time. “I wrote a lot but none of my stories had endings back then,” she said of her childhood work. One of the themes that seems to thread its way through most of the books Ms. Wax writes is empowerment. “Kids grow up with so many things chipping away at their self-confidence,” she said. “I think its important to put the message out there that you can do what you want in life.”

Ms. Wax follows her own advice well. She said that writing children’s books challenges her to use her talents in the best possible way she can think of. “I have the gift of imagination and I’ve got a good connection with children,” she said in a recent interview. “And I’m glad that I can speak on a seven-year-old leve.” “She’s incredibly funny and she has this quirky creativity that lends itself so well to what she does,” her sister Naomi said about her older sibling’s vocation. “It is really cool to see it manifesting out in the world so other people can enjoy it too.”

Passion for creativity is truly a family affair. Husband Jon Holderer is an accomplished photographer who has also shared his talents on some of his wife’s projects. The two worked together recently on “A Very Mice Christmas,” a book that showcased Mr. Holderer’s photography and Ms. Wax’s flair for collage. The pair also worked together on a Halloween book, “The Bus to Booville.”

Though creativity is important to Ms. Wax, her other qualities have been equally important in making her so successful in the children’s literature genre. “She is so professional and really approaches this work just as seriously as if she were writing a full-length adult book,” according to Wayne Barr, an acquisitions editor at Barron’s. Mr. Barr said he found Ms. Wax’s exhaustive research into the life of artist Pierre-August Renoir and his son, Jean, a key element to her success as an author. “I was impressed to discover that she had read up on this subject and immersed herself in research to write this kids’ book,” he said. Ms. Wax said she really enjoys the research aspect of her work. “I always have a notebook with me; I have literally hundreds of files full of ideas,” she said.

She attributes much of her success to her background as an editor, which required her to spend a large portion of her time thinking up ideas for other authors to write about. The East End has also inspired Ms. Wax in her creative efforts.

She reported that another one of her books, due out by the end of next year, is an updated version of the tale of “The Country Mouse and the City Mouse,” titled “City Witch, Country witch,” which also humorously parallels the differences in her experiences between living in Manhattan and Long Island. The Holderer-Wax family made the move to Long Island from the city about four years ago and Ms. Wax said the change in scenery has helped her to bring even more ideas to fruition than she had previously. “There’s not so much to distract you out here, especially in the winter, so Jonah and I have been really busy making lots of art and thinking up book ideas,” Ms. Wax said.

Spending time with her husband and child and doing the things she loves most, Ms. Wax said she realizes how fortunate she is to be able to follow her passion. “I truly love what I do and I will keep writing as long as the ideas keep coming,” she said. With four books slated to be printed in the next year, and hundreds of ideas already catalogued, it’s a pretty safe bet that readers young and old can expect much more from the fertile imagination of Wendy Wax.