Congratulations, Jessica Stremer on WONDERFULLY WILD!

Thank you so much, Jessica, for sharing the release of WONDERFULLY WILD: Rewilding a School and Community 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?

I stumbled upon the idea for this book while researching citizen science activities for kids. I had been considering writing a children’s book about rewilding but wasn’t sure how to get started. Outside of letting nature do its thing, rewilding is frequently done on larger plots of land and involves activities performed by adults, such as removing asphalt - not the greatest recipe for a children’s book. But the story that inspired this book showed me that rewilding can be done on a smaller scale, and kids can play an active role in changing the ecosystem around them. I let the idea simmer in my subconscious until one day the whole narrative just sort of came to me! 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 think the biggest challenge of this book was the blending of fact and fiction. The story was inspired by a true event, beginning with the fall of an old willow tree in a school yard and the emotional reaction from students. I believe the real-life school bought a new willow tree to replace the one that had fallen, but in my story students rewild their schoolyard by propagating new trees from the fallen tree’s branches. From there, I incorporated other ways kids can rewild their school and community, balancing kids in action with support from the community. 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? I don’t know if I had to leave anything out. I was lucky that my editor was willing to expand the page count to make sure the pacing felt natural and there wasn’t too much happening on any one spread. We also left room for additional details about rewilding in the back matter. What tip can you share with teachers who want to use your book in the classroom?

No matter what type of community you live in, things that students did in this book can be replicated in your school. In addition, educators can use this book as an opportunity to explore the lifecycle of plants, habitats and ecosystems, and the relationship between human activity and wildlife.

Congratulations on this book release! What comes next for you? Can you give us a peek at what you are currently researching ? I’m busy promoting this book and my other recently published picture book, PLIGHT OF THE PELICAN: How Science Saved a Species. And I have one more book publishing this fall. TRAPPED IN THE TAR PIT: How Paleontologists Unearthed a City’s Prehistoric Past. In addition to that, I’m researching a few more nonfiction ideas, including another book about fossils. 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.