Born in Malden, Massachusetts, Lesa Cline-Ransome studied merchandising and fashion Management at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York. After earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1987, she worked as a fashion copyright for Lord & Taylor and R.H. Macy in New York City.

During this time, Lesa developed an interest in the field of education and began working as a substitute teacher in the New York City school system. Later she became a teacher for Living for the Young Family through Education (LYFE), a program designed to offer on-site infant and toddler childcare for teenaged parents returning to high school to complete their education. While working for the program, she earned a Master of Arts degree from New York University in Early Childhood and Elementary Education.

Lesa resigned from her teaching position and began writing for children when she was expecting her first child. She has written, Satchel Paige (Simon & Schuster), a biography of the Negro League pitcher, Quilt Alphabet (Holiday House), a collection of alphabet poems and the companion book, Quilt Counting (North South Books).

Lesa's biography of the African-American world champion cyclist Major Taylor is due out in 2004 by (Atheneum Books for Young Readers). All of her books are created in collaboration with her husband, children's book illustrator James Ransome.

The mother of four children - Jaime, Maya, Malcolm, and Leila - Lesa lives with her family in upstate New York.