Congratulations, Jessica Stremer, on PLIGHT OF THE PELICAN!

Thank you so much for sharing the release of PLIGHT OF THE PELICAN: How Science Saved a Species with us! Young readers love STEAM books and I’m sure yours will find many happy readers. Can you share with us a bit about the inspiration for this book? What was your initial spark?

Pelicans are one of my favorite birds. I tried writing a story about them years ago, but it just wasn’t working. Each year Vivian Kirkfield hosts 50 Precious Words writing competition. We were on vacation traveling up the coast of California when I began brainstorming ideas. Pelicans once again popped into my head, but this time I knew exactly what approach I wanted to take. My 50 Precious Words entry received honorable mention, and I decided to flush it out into a new draft, sticking to the sparse language while working in some layered text. Eventually that layered text became part of the story.

Writing STEAM books requires a substantial amount of research. Often it is the most fun part of our writing process. Did you meet any challenges in your research journey? With eight species of pelicans existing in the world, I had to be mindful of my research and narrow down which species I wanted to highlight in the story. I chose to focus on the brown pelican. Going forward I had to make sure that my research aligned with what was true for that species. Often one of the most difficult parts of crafting our books is not deciding what to include, but deciding what to leave out. What did you choose to leave out of this book and why? Rachel Carson played a huge role in advocating for endangered species, and her book Silent Spring exposed the hazards of pesticides like DDT. But there are already several children’s books about Rachel. I chose to leave her mostly out of the story to help make my book different from others in the market.

What tip can you share with teachers who want to use your book in the classroom? PLIGHT OF THE PELICANS can be used in a variety of ways across the curriculum and at different grade levels, including lessons about food chains and relationships in ecosystems, to history, activism, and scientific discovery. I hope to offer an educator’s guide on my website soon!

Congratulations on this book release! What comes next for you? Can you give us a peek at what you are currently researching? My next book, WONDERFULLY WILD: Rewilding a School and Community publishes May 6th and then TRAPPED IN THE TAR PITS: How Paleontologists Unearthed a City’s Prehistoric Past publishes August 26th of this year. In between different publicity events, I’m researching another book about fossils and adding to my always growing “to be written” idea list.

About the author: Jessica Stremer is an award-winning children’s author who combines her love of science and writing to create books that inspire kids to explore and think critically about the world around them. Her books have received multiple starred reviews and have been designated as School Library Journal Gold Standard Selections, Cook Prize Silver Medal recipient, NYPL Best Book of the Year, and NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book. Jessica obtained a B.S. in Biology from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. When not writing you can find her cheering from the sideline of her kids’ soccer games and planning her next family adventure.

Congratulations, Patricia Newman on SHARKS UNHOOKED!

Thank you so much for sharing the release of Sharks Unhooked: The Adventures of Cristina Zenato, Underwater Ranger with us!

Young readers love STEAM books and I’m sure yours will find many happy readers. Can you share with us a bit about the inspiration for this book? What was your initial spark? In early 2021, Planet Ocean had just released, and I was researching and writing A River’s Gifts. I happened across a dramatic video of Cristina Zenato, a scuba diver who removed hooks from sharks. I watched it over and over. Then I started Googling. The more I read, the more I knew I’d just found an unusual and powerful new book idea. I reached out to Cristina via email on June 1, 2021, with a request for a 20-minute chat and crossed my fingers. She replied on June 2, and we’ve had an amazing partnership ever since. Her work is so amazing, I donated part of my advance for Sharks Unhooked to Cristina’s nonprofit organization, People of the Water, dedicated to changing our relationship with our aquatic world. Writing STEAM books requires a substantial amount of research. Often it is the most fun part of our writing process. Did you meet any challenges in your research journey? I agree. I often dive down a research rabbit hole and resurface wondering what my original question was! Finding the perfect information is rewarding, but often challenging. Sharks Unhooked, however, was my easiest book to research. Cristina made herself available for my many, many questions and she was an integral part of the editing process. Her website is loaded with photos and videos taken by her partner Kewin Lorenzen (see back matter spread below with a few of Kewin’s photos). The images were a terrific resource for watching Cristina interact with the sharks and removing the hooks from various parts of their bodies. Additionally, there are so many books and online resources about all-things shark, that I never lacked corroborating information. I particularly love Cristina’s focus on the public’s perception of sharks. Mainstream media has saddled sharks with an image problem. Throughout Sharks Unhooked we portray sharks as the beings they are designed to be – “stealthy hunters, seeing, circling.” They are complex beings with brains, personalities, and gentle sides. “No animal is vicious or useless,” Cristina says. “Every animal has a role and a vital importance in the chain of nature.”

Caption: From Sharks Unhooked: The Adventures of Cristina Zenato, Underwater Ranger, by Patricia Newman, illustrated by Becca Hall (Millbrook Press, 2025). Photo credits: Kewin Lorenzen Photography Often one of the most difficult parts of crafting our books is not deciding what to include but deciding what to leave out. What did you choose to leave out of this book and why? Ah, focus! Picture books always have a limited amount of real estate, right? I could have included a bunch of information about sharks, but Sharks Unhooked isn’t an all-about-sharks book. It’s about one woman’s determination to relieve the suffering of the animals she loves. Between the text and the back matter, there are enough facts for most shark lovers, but the crux of the story is Cristina’s relationship with these predators and how that bond allows her to get close enough to help them. (research photo – please embed my book trailer which includes research video - https://youtu.be/Z_SPhtqRh3s) What tip can you share with teachers who want to use your book in the classroom? I think Sharks Unhooked would make a great anchor text, integrating a variety of content areas. After reading the book, try these ideas: • Social Emotional Learning: Cristina felt different from other kids when she was younger. Explore what it means to feel different. What are some strategies to celebrate your differences? • Social studies + geography: Find the Bahamas on a map. What does it mean to be an island nation? What bodies of water surround it? What other types of marine animals live in the waters surrounding the Bahamas? • Language arts/writing: Write a poem from a shark’s point of view about how it feels to be hooked. • Language arts/vocabulary: Ask students to define unfamiliar words in context. • Science + language aArts/reading for details: What are some of the problems sharks face in our ocean? Find evidence in the book. How do human habits cause these problems? Brainstorm ways we can help sharks by changing our habits or spreading awareness. • Math: Map the places Caribbean reef sharks are found using a coordinate plane. Cristina lives in Freeport, Grand Bahama Island. Calculate how far the Caribbean reef sharks might be swimming to find her to remove their hooks. • Language arts/reading companion texts: Read one or more of the other shark books listed in the back of Sharks Unhooked. Ask students to compare them against Sharks Unhooked. What’s different? What’s similar?

Caption: From Sharks Unhooked: The Adventures of Cristina Zenato, Underwater Ranger, by Patricia Newman, illustrated by Becca Hall (Millbrook Press, 2025) Congratulations on this book release! What comes next for you? Can you give us a peek at what you are currently researching? Thank you! I have a 2026 title releasing with Peachtree Publishing called Beatrice and the Nightingale. Beatrice Harrison was a famous English cellist in the early 20th century. One evening while practicing in her garden, a nightingale accompanied Beatrice’s cello. Beatrice marveled at the bird’s complex song and convinced the head of the BBC to come to her garden and broadcast this unusual cello-nightingale concert. At the time, radio was a new medium, so Beatrice’s request was no easy feat. Beatrice and the Nightingale celebrates a wonderful connection between music, nature, and STEM that I’m thrilled to share.

About the author: Sibert Honor author Patricia Newman uses nature to empower her readers to seek connections to the real world and to use their imaginations to act on behalf of their communities. Patricia’s nonfiction titles have received multiple starred reviews, two Orbis Pictus Recommended Awards (NCTE), two Green Earth Book Awards, and several Eureka! Awards (CRA). All her nonfiction titles are Junior Library Guild Selections, and most have been included in the Bank Street College’s Best Books of the Year lists. To learn more, visit her website at patriciamnewman.com or connect with her on BlueSky (@patricianewman.bsky.social), X (@PatriciaNewman), Instagram (@patricianewmanbooks), Facebook (@PatriciaNewmanBooks).