Congratulations, Jen Swanson, on Atlas Obscura!

Thank you so much for sharing the recent release of Atlas Obscura: The Explorer’s Guide to Inventing the World 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? A few years ago, I was in Chicago visiting my daughter. She was doing a summer internship at her college. We decided to visit The Field Museum, and that is where I first saw the exhibit about the Rapid Inventory Project. We sat down to watch the short video about the project and I was hooked. The vivid images, the amazing conservation efforts, and the team of awesome scientists made the Amazon come alive. As I walked through the rest of the very informative and descriptive exhibit I was enthralled to learn how these scientists would count every single animal they saw, collect samples, and literally take an inventory of the biological creatures of that area. But I think the coolest part was that the social scientists made great effort to include the local communities and Indigenous Peoples in their reports. The people who live in that area should have a lot of say in how it would be set up as protected lands. Why write this for kids? Because I think it’s a great way for them to see how people from different backgrounds and different countries can come together and collaborate to protect one of the world’s most amazing resources: the Amazon rainforest.

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? While I started writing this book in 2018, it was sold at the end of 2019, I began writing it in early 2020. We all know what happened then. Because of the pandemic, I wasn’t able to go to the Field Museum to interview the scientists in person. Talking to them all at once or all in once place would have been better than scattering the zoom interviews over a longer period of time. That made things difficult and also slowed down the project.

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 had many more stories from the scientists that just couldn’t be included in the book. The book was only so many words long, and we wanted to leave room for many, many pictures. I don’t remember specific stories, but I do remember that we had even more amazing photos that we could have included. To see more, you can go here.

What tip can you share with teachers who want to use your book in the classroom? There are so many things you can do. You could have the students take an inventory of the classroom just like the biologists on the Rapid Inventory Team. You could have them interview people in their neighborhoods to find out anything they would like changed or improved, like the social scientists did. You could have them visit local environments in their area and journal about what they see: animals, plants, people, etc. The idea is to use this book to bring attention to the immediate world where you live. To see what you can do to improve your place on the planet.

Congratulations on this book release! What comes next for you? Can you give us a peek at what you are currently researching ? I am currently working on a book for Harper Collins called ‘How to Talk to an Alien (Should you ever meet one). It’s TONS of fun! This book is for curious middle graders who want to learn more about space, astrobiology and astrogeology, biosignatures, language, and of course, aliens! It’s also going to have activities so that you can create your own “alien language.

Learn more about Jen Swanson and her books: Science Rocks! And so do Jennifer Swanson’s books. She is the award winning author of over 50+ nonfiction books for children, mostly about science and technology. Jennifer’s passion for science and technology resonates in all her books but especially, BRAIN GAMES (NGKids) and Parents’ Choice Gold Award Winner, Save the Crash-test Dummies (Peachtree Publishing) and her 2021 Kirkus Best Nature book, Outdoor School: Rocks, Fossils, and Shells (Odd Dot). Her books have received many accolades including the starred reviews, Booklist Best Tech books list, Green Earth Book Honor Award, four Florida Book Awards, and multiple California Reading Association awards, National Science Teaching BEST STEM awards. her BRAIN GAMES book was even #13 on The Planets.org 50 Best Science books Ever Written. An accomplished and exciting speaker, Jennifer has presented at National NSTA conferences, the Highlights Foundation, the Atlanta Science Festival, the World Science Festival in NYC, the Smithsonian’s Udvar-Hazy Center, and the Library of Congress’ National Book Festival. Jennifer encourages kids (of all ages) to engage their curiosity and DISCOVER the Science all around them! Jennifer lives in Jacksonville, FL with her husband and their dog, Tibs.

Congratulations, Alison Pearce Stevens, on Detective Dogs!

Thank you, Alison, so much for sharing the release of DETECTIVE DOGS with us! Young readers love STEAM books, especially STEAM books about dogs, 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? This actually started with an article on conservation dogs for Science News Explores, and that came about after my husband suggested it. He studies dog behavior, I’m passionate about our natural spaces, and kids love dogs, so it seemed like a great fit. Dogs are incredible (as you know!), and their ability to sniff out plants and animals is unparalleled. There were already books out there on sniffer dogs, more generally, and conservation dogs as a narrower group, but there wasn’t anything that looked at how dogs can help us find and control invasive species before they cause too much damage to our ecosystems.

Yes, I certainly do know! *wink I loved researching and writing my 2014 book, SNIFFER DOGS. Did you meet any challenges in your book’s journey from inspiration to completion? The conservation dog community was not only accepting of me, inviting me out into the field with them at a number of locations, but also enthusiastically answering follow-up emails, sending photos and other materials, and generally making the process of writing this book really easy. There were some bumps along the road once it left my hands, but in the end it turned out beautifully. I’m really proud of it.

You are so right. The conservation dog community is wonderfully enthusiastic in sharing their stories. I know and have worked with some of the scientists, bounders, researchers in your book. But this book is not just about the stories of dogs. These dogs are so important to understanding our world. While STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math, you’ve chosen to highlight science in this fun book. Why? Probably because I’m a scientist myself. I’m trained as a zoologist and ecologist, so this is a natural direction for me. In my books, I try to connect my readers with something about the natural world that they wouldn’t expect, and for me, that usually means highlighting something incredible or surprising, then examining it through the lens of scientific inquiry.

What tip can you share with teachers who want to use your book in the classroom?

Detective Dogs is a great way to talk about how we use our senses. People are generally very visual creatures and we tend to overlook how much we rely on our other senses. For example, I’ve found that I can’t cook with earbuds in, because then I can’t effectively monitor what’s on the stove. I can listen to music or an audiobook, as long as it’s over a speaker, so I can pick up other sounds while I’m cooking (such as an overflowing pasta pot!). This book could be used to spark a conversation about what kinds of information we get when we use different senses. We can smell things we can’t necessarily see. We can see, smell, and hear things we can’t necessarily touch, and so on. There are interesting dynamics at play. I’ll also mention that if teachers are interested in a school visit, I offer a highly interactive program on this exact topic! Congratulations on this book release! What comes next for you? Can you give us a peek at what you are currently working on? In March, I’ll be celebrating the release of my first picture book! When Beavers Move In (Godwin Books/Henry Holt) tells the tale of how “nuisance” beavers from the Seattle/Puget Sound area are transforming the Cascade Mountains after the Tulalip Tribes relocate them as part of their Beaver Project. It’s a lyrical story with stunning illustrations by Métis artist Natasha Donovan that showcases how rewilding efforts can have powerful, wide-ranging impacts.

Thanks for allowing me to share another wonderful book about conservation canines, Alison. Learn more about the author of Detective Dogs: Alison Pearce Stevens has been chased by a trumpeter swan, bitten by a bronze-winged duck, and served as a climbing wall for geckos and baby bats. She used to be a beekeeper and still thinks pollinators are some of the coolest things on the planet. Once upon a time, she was Dr. Stevens, science professor, until life took her overseas, at which point she started writing about science and nature for kids, because she had to find new ways to share cool things with the world’s most curious people. Alison writes lots of fun nonfiction: articles, picture books, and middle grade books. All of her work is inspired by a love of science and nature. She a regular contributor to Science News Explores, Highlights for Children, ASK, and other kids’ magazines, and has co-authored four books for National Geographic Kids. Rhinos in Nebraska: The Amazing Discovery of the Ashfall Fossil Beds, Animal Climate Heroes, and Detective Dogs were all Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selections. Rhinos and Animal Climate Heroes won Nebraska Book Awards, and Animal Climate Heroes was listed as a Bank Street Best Children’s Book for ages 9 to 12. You can learn more about her at apstevens.com.

Congratulations, Carrie Pearson on WATCH THEM GROW!

Thank you so much for sharing the release of Watch Them Grow: The Fascinating Science of Animal Beginnings with us, Carrie! Middle grade readers love STEAM books and I’m sure yours will find many enthusiastic readers. Can you share with us a bit about the inspiration for this book? What was your initial spark? Thank you for the opportunity to share Watch Them Grow! Ironically, the inspiration for this STEAM book came from a musical (referencing the ‘M’ in STEAM). During the pandemic, I watched the musical Hamilton on a streaming service several times. Leslie Odom Jr. enthralled me with his rendition of the song The Room Where It Happens. During one iteration, I heard in my mind, “The Womb Where It Happens,” and thought of a book project about animal gestation. The concept started as a picture book, but when Carol Hinz, associate publisher at Lerner/Millbrook Press, asked if we’d consider it as a middle-grade photographic book, I quickly agreed. From my research, I knew a deeper dive would be warranted. The photographs I had already found were fascinating, and I believed they would captivate independent readers.

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 for Watch Them Grow ? This book required deep research skills. First, I needed to scour scientific research papers to find studies that covered the prenatal development of animal body parts, such as teeth, tails, and whiskers. Then, I narrowed those subjects based on the three themes we selected for the body parts—designed for movement, ingestion, or sensing. I found outliers that didn’t fit the body part themes but were too interesting to ignore in relation to the overall book topic, such as the big-belly seahorse, where the male gestates the eggs. Sometimes, the research papers were written in scientific language that, even with my science background, I found challenging to synthesize. In those cases, I asked my scientist husband to help interpret. My resourceful sister-in-law solved another research problem. We needed permission to use a photograph from a research paper showing fang development in the prenatal Japanese Mamushi snake. We couldn't connect with the researchers who lived in Japan. I discovered that one of the co-researchers was scheduled to speak at an upcoming conference in Portland, OR. My sister-in-law was visiting me and heard my sad story. Luckily, she lives near Portland and would be back home during his conference. She offered to try to get into the conference, find where he was presenting, and, immediately after his talk, give him a letter I had drafted requesting his permission. She found him! And he said, Yes! Here is the photograph:

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 initially thought the book would cover superlatives, such as animals with the longest and shortest gestation periods, the smallest and largest animals, those that live at the highest altitudes, and the deepest earth dwellers, among others. However, research on animals matching these themes wasn’t always available. I had to start from a different point — where good research existed — and develop the themes from there.

What tip can you share with teachers who want to use your book in the classroom? The book benefited from early feedback by science author and educator Jessica Fries-Gaither. She identified key concepts included in the text and recommended areas we could improve to align with the Next Generation Science Standards for middle-grade students. It’s a meaty book but presented in digestible bits. A no-fee Educator Guide is available for download from my website with activities, discussion topics, and vocabulary sets. The Guide is chock-full of actionable goodies!

Congratulations on this book release! It's an amazing book that pairs so well with your picture book biography, VIRGINIA WOULDN'T SLOW DOWN. What comes next for you? Can you give us a peek at what you are currently researching ? Thank you! I’m thrilled to have this baby out in the world. I am currently researching how technology can be deployed in the fight to save our world (not just our planet) from the trash humans create. It is a topic that is difficult and inspirational at the same time.

Find out more about the author of WATCH THEM GROW: Carrie A. Pearson is an award-winning author, presenter, and early childhood educator. She writes books that uncover hidden stories in our world, whether about towering trees, trailblazing women, or tiny animal embryos. Her authored books have received distinctions such as Junior Library Guild Gold, School Library Journal's Best Books of the Year, and a CCBC Choices listing, as well as numerous state honors and awards. Her greatest honor was receiving the Michigan Reading Association’s Gwen Frostic Award for her contributions to literacy development. Carrie lives near the sandy shore of Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where she writes, researches, and occasionally rescues stray ideas from the woods. Find free resources at carriepearsonbooks.com and connect on Pinterest: carrieapearson, Instagram: @carrieapearson.author, Bluesky: @cpearsonauthor.bsky.social, and on her Facebook author page: pearsoncarrieann

Congratulations, Lynn Street, on THE BLUE JAYS THAT GREW A FOREST!

Thank you so much for sharing the release of THE BLUE JAYS THAT GREW A FOREST 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?

A photograph of a blue jay carrying an acorn in its beak inspired this book. I sensed a mystery—and a story. That an oak can grow from a tiny acorn is amazing. That one bird caching acorns over a lifetime can impact the growth of forests is astounding. The connection between blue jays and oaks is an example of mutualism, a symbiotic relationship between two different species that benefits each of them and encourages survival and growth. Oaks supply jays with food and shelter, and the trees rely on jays to transport acorns far away so that seedlings flourish in new places. Both blue jays and oaks are keystone species—a species critical to the survival of other species in an ecosystem. I hope that readers will be as excited as I was to learn about this relationship between blue jays and oak trees. Throughout the research process, I paid close attention to the birds in my neighborhood, and I’ve been able to watch blue jays gathering acorns each fall. Anne Hunter did an amazing job illustrating the blue jays and the oaks. One of the experts specifically mentioned that the page spreads are true-to-life. 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? The bulk of the research for THE BLUE JAYS THAT GREW A FOREST came from academic research papers and interviews with the experts who wrote them. There aren’t any books written for the general public summarizing this research. I made some of my own observations as well. I watched blue jays in my backyard as they interacted with an oak just over the fence. From a second story window, I was able to see into the oak’s canopy as jays pried acorns from the tree. Over several fall seasons, I spotted more and more of this acorn gathering process in real time.

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? Picture books feature one big idea, and I focused on the interaction between the jays and the oaks. The story follows a flock of jays over the changing seasons as they collect and carry, hide and bury, thousands of acorns as a winter food source. The acorns left behind may sprout in spring and become the beginnings of a new oak forest. I did not include information about how jays build their nests or raise their chicks. Instead, the extensive back matter provides more information on blue jays and oak forest ecosystems, and how readers can help wildlife by planting an oak tree. What tip can you share with teachers who want to use your book in the classroom? Students might use the book as inspiration to write their own class field guide to birds, with each student choosing to become an expert on one species. Another activity is to create a bird bingo card, featuring images of common birds in the school’s location. Teachers might encourage students to draw a blue jay, labeling the bird’s anatomy (head, beak, crest, back, wings, feathers, tail, feet). How would a student tell a blue jay from another type of bird by sight? What sounds does a blue jay make? Use allaboutbirds.org to listen to blue jay calls and see if students can hear these same sounds in the landscape. Compare a blue jay’s call to another bird’s call, and see if students can identify which bird is the blue jay. Help students create a plan to plant native oaks to support local insects, mammals, and birds. 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 is also about birds—specifically birdwatching. It will be released in spring 2027. About the author

Lynn Street is a science-inspired author sharing lively, lyrical STEM stories with young readers. She loves concepts that cross disciplines, and personal narratives set against a sea of facts. Her passion is writing for curious observers who want to discover the wonders of their world.

New Book -- SQUIRREL!

I can't believe I'm writing this -- My first book for adult readers releases in 3 months!

I've written for adults for years in many magazines, including Adirondack Life, The Conservationist, FamilyFun, and Hudson Valley Magazine. This, however, feels much different. It is exciting to flesh out a story I want to tell for adults. I'm often asked about where my inspiration is sparked and how my books begin. My nonfiction books usually begin with a extraordinary fact I've heard or something I've experienced. That spark swirls around in my mind until I decide the best audience. That audience determines the book's format.

I've had a lifetime of squirrel encounters. They all have inspired this latest book. But the one experience that was the match that lit the flame was a simple, backyard observation. I missed my red squirrels. Where had they gone? I used to see them running between my maple trees regularly. I remembered the large midden they created under my spruce trees. They were missing.

I began a journey down the proverbial rabbit hole. But in this case it was a squirrel hole. SQUIRREL: How A Backyard Forager Shapes Our World is the result. I can't wait to share it with readers. It is currently available for preorder at your favorite bookseller, including Oblong Books (if you'd like your copy autographed upon release!). Find out more information here.

Congratulations, Katie Furze on PEKEPEKA, Secret Forest Bat!

Thank you so much for sharing the release of PEKAPEKA, Secret Forest Bat 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? Hi Nancy, thanks for having me! In Aotearoa New Zealand, where I live, pekapeka or bats are the only native land mammals. (Pekapeka is the Māori name for bats). We have two types of pekapeka that are vastly different from each other. I chose to focus on the New Zealand lesser short-tailed bat which is the only living species in the family Mystacinidae. These bats have unique adaptations – for example, they spend much of their time scurrying around on the ground with their wings folded up. They are endangered and rarely seen by people because they are only found in a few locations, deep in ancient forests. I wanted to write a book that would give children insight into the life of these elusive and fascinating creatures and at the same time help pekapeka by raising knowledge and highlighting the importance of scientific research and conservation.

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 was able to read about all aspects of the bat’s biology and behavior from reports and scientific papers, thanks to the excellent work of New Zealand scientists who have dedicated their lives to studying these endangered bats. Once I’d finished my manuscript, I contacted a bat expert, to make sure I had everything right. The most enjoyable part of my research was visiting the beautiful ancient forests where pekapeka are found. This is a photo of Whirinaki Te Puā-a-Tāne Conservation Park, in the central north island of New Zealand, one of the few places where short-tailed pekapeka live.

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 decided to focus the narrative on a single night in a bat’s life because I wanted to take young readers on a journey with Pekapeka as she forages for food, evades predators, and pollinates native plants, all while evading the many dangers in the forest. In my experience, there are always some fascinating facts that don’t fit the structure and are best left out. For example, the males of this species of bat ‘sing’ from roosts to attract females. I chose to exclude this fact from the main narrative, but I was able to include it in the back matter. (Credit Colin O'Donnell)

What tip can you share with teachers who want to use your book in the classroom? PEKAPEKA, Secret Forest Bat can be used in many ways across the curriculum and at different year levels. It ties in particularly well with science and nature topics such as life cycles, habitats, adaptations, food chains and ecosystems. I hope to offer an educator’s guide on my website soon! Like a lot of wildlife in Aotearoa New Zealand, these bats are very different to species found elsewhere in the world. If you look at this spread you will see how they fold their wings up and scurry around on the ground using their wings like front legs!

Congratulations on this book release! What comes next for you? Can you give us a peek at what you are currently researching ? PEKAPEKA, Secret Forest Bat is a companion to Ruru: Night Hunter and Tuatara: A Living Treasure with words by me and illustrations by Ned Barraud, published by Scholastic NZ. I’m excited to say Ned and I are working on our next book about another special native of Aotearoa New Zealand. I hope to be able to share more details soon.

About the author: Katie Furze is an author of children’s stories and books from Aotearoa New Zealand, who has a master’s degree in creative writing and a love of science and nature. Her debut non-fiction picture book, Tuatara, a Living Treasure, illustrated by Ned Barraud and published by Scholastic NZ was a finalist in the 2024 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults, a finalist in the SCBWI Crystal Kite Awards and a 2023 Storylines Notable Book. A second title in the series, Ruru, Night Hunter was released in July 2024. Katie’s work is regularly published in The School Magazine in Australia and The New Zealand School Journal. She has also written early readers and children’s plays for the educational market, and published stories in anthologies. Read more about Katie at: http://www.katiefurze.com/

Congratulations, Colleen Paeff, on Firefly Song: Lynn Frierson Faust and the Great Smoky Mountain Discover!

Thank you so much for sharing the release of FIREFLY SONG: LYNN FRIERSON FAUST AND THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAIN DISCOVERY (illustrated by Ji-Hyuk Kim) 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’ve wanted to write Lynn’s story since 2014, when I first read about her in Mental Floss magazine. At the time, I had no agent, no book deal––just an SCBWI membership and a whole lot of enthusiasm––and I worried that wasn’t enough to get Lynn’s approval. So, I put the article aside and worked on becoming a published author. In 2021, my debut picture book, The Great Stink: How Joseph Bazalgette Solved London’s Poop Pollution Problem, was released and six months later I emailed Lynn, introduced myself, and asked if I could write her story. She said yes!

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?

You are so right that the research is often the most fun part of the writing process! In fact, conducting the research for this book led to one of most magical experiences of my entire life––my husband and I met Lynn in the Smoky Mountains when the synchronous fireflies were at their peak. The Light Show, as they call it in the Smokies, was even more beautiful than I’d imagined. Even though many people had told me what it was like to see their courtship display, it wasn’t until I saw the fireflies myself that I understood how to write about it. So, describing the Light Show was one challenge that was solved when I saw it myself, but probably the most challenging aspect of my research was understanding the science of fireflies––the language, the life cycles, the habits, and the differences between species. I almost always found the information I needed in Lynn’s book, Fireflies, Glow-worms, and Lightning Bugs, but sometimes there was something I just couldn’t grasp. Thankfully, in those instances, Lynn was happy to help. Having my very own firefly expert on call was a huge bonus! 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? Lynn has led an incredible life. I wish I could have told ALL her stories! I left out childhood stories related to her time in the woods. I left out stories from when she was in her early twenties and she and her husband sailed around the world with two friends. In college, she studied forensic anthropology under William Bass, founder of the Body Farm. She even worked at the farm, a research facility where dead bodies are placed in different environments to study how they decay. I left out some wonderfully visual (and exciting!) stories about her firefly research. She’s studied fireflies by horseback and canoe. She’s camped out in caves. She’s nearly been run over by cars and attacked by alligators, and she’s traveled the world meeting other firefly experts. In the end, I decided to limit the book to the story of Lynn’s discovery of the synchronous fireflies because it created clear parameters that would keep the word count under control. Hopefully, she’ll write a memoir someday, so everyone can read about the incredible places Lynn’s curiosity has taken her!

What tip can you share with teachers who want to use your book in the classroom? I love to think about the qualities Lynn possesses that make her such a great scientist–– curiosity and the power to observe tiny details come to mind––because they’re qualities many children have in spades. Teachers might encourage their students to look for these qualities (and others) in Lynn and in themselves, as a way to empower the children to think of themselves as scientists. Follow up with some hands-on, observational activities (check the Xerces Society and my website for ideas) to give students the full Lynn Faust experience!

Congratulations on this book release! What comes next for you? Can you give us a peek at what you are currently researching? Thank you! My next book, PUFFLINGS FLY FREE: A RESCUE TALE FROM ICELAND (illustrated by Linda Ólafsdóttir) took me to a small island off the coast of Iceland where I got to rescue some baby puffins (!!) and I’m taking a trip to Corfu this summer to research a certain naturalist who spent part of his childhood there. (Fans of “The Durrell’s in Corfu” will know who I mean!)

About the author: Colleen Paeff is the award-winning author of The Great Stink: How Joseph Bazalgette Solved London’s Poop Pollution Problem. A lifelong Californian, she received a Bachelor’s Degree in set design for theater from California State University Fullerton, before becoming a bookseller, preschool teacher, and newspaper columnist. (She never did become a set designer!) Eventually, she figured out how to roll books, kids, and writing into a career as a children’s book author, and now she gets to share her enthusiasm for books and learning by visiting with students both at home and abroad. Colleen is a Robert F. Sibert Honor recipient and winner of the Golden Kite Award for Nonfiction Text for Young Readers. She lives in Los Angeles, CA. Learn more at www.colleenpaeff.com.

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.

Congratulations, Lisa Varchol Perron, on WONDER WHY!

Thank you so much for sharing the release of WONDER WHY 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?

Thank you for having me on your blog, Nancy! Two distinct moments came together to inspire WONDER WHY. The first was driving with my daughters on a beautiful day and looking out the window at a stunningly blue sky. I spoke directly to the sky and asked, “Why are you so blue today, sky?” Then a version of the opening stanza of the book started to form in my head. I kept repeating the words aloud until we arrived at our destination, and I could write them down. (My kids aren’t exactly fans of this writing method, but they’re accustomed to it!) I only had one stanza and didn’t know where it would go from there. Then, a few weeks later, I heard a commercial on the radio. A young girl asks her dad why the sky is blue, and he replies, “To match your beautiful eyes.” Ugh! Then the child tells him that he’s wrong, and she goes on to explain Rayleigh scattering. I’m pretty sure I clapped when I heard her response! I kept thinking about how kids are not only incredibly curious, they’re also incredibly capable of understanding complex concepts. So that was the spark for turning that initial stanza into a picture book, with a kid asking questions about our natural world and getting direct, accurate answers from nature.

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? It can be challenging to distill scientific information and communicate it in a clear and engaging way for readers, but it’s a challenge I enjoy. Sometimes when I’m starting a new STEAM project, I’ll start with a stack of books from the library before I start writing. Other times, I’ll dive into the writing to get a better sense of the research I need to do. This book was a bit of a mix. I wrote some of the “question” spreads and then turned to journal articles, websites, and books to help inform the answers. Once I had a complete draft, I asked a meteorologist from MIT to read it, and she provided feedback on the scientific explanations and sent me a few more articles to read. I did my best to incorporate her suggestions while also working within the space constraints of a picture book. 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?

That’s very true! For this book, I decided to use the arc of a day with a storm brewing, and from there it became clear to me which weather phenomena I would include—starting with a kid marveling at the blue morning sky until it becomes windy, clouds form, thunder rumbles, it rains, and finally, a rainbow appears. The explanations in the main text needed to remain succinct to fit with the rhyme and meter, and I wanted them to match the “personality” I imagined for the sky, cloud, thunder, and so on. I also knew that it would be helpful to have back matter or sidebars to expand on each of the explanations provided in the main text. In early drafts, I struggled to pare down the back matter. For example, I initially included a detailed discussion about the polarization of charges that create lightning, but thanks to my critique partners, I realized that I needed to simplify. It helps to remind myself that my goal is to deepen kids’ understanding of how things work in our natural world, and not to write a textbook. What tip can you share with teachers who want to use your book in the classroom? WONDER WHY has curricular tie-ins with the Next Generation Science Standards (ESS2.D: Weather and Climate). If the class has already done some pre-reading about weather, consider having students look at the question pages first and consider how they might answer. For younger students who are new to the science concepts, you can focus on the personification of nature in the book and ask students to write a short poem from the perspective of a natural phenomenon, like a cloud, thunder, or a rainbow.

Congratulations on this book release! What comes next for you? Can you give us a peek at what you are currently researching? Thank you so much, Nancy, and thanks again for having me! Most of my books so far have been STEAM, but the next two are very different. In September, THE LITTLEST SOLSTICE TREE (illustrated by Ahya Kim) releases with Beaming Books. It’s a picture book about a young evergreen who longs to be crowned “Tree of the Year” during the annual winter solstice celebration, and there is some brief back matter about the history of trees in winter solstice—and Christmas—celebrations. I also have a soon-to-be announced fiction picture book coming out in 2026 that deals with mental health issues. In addition to writing, I’ve worked as a psychotherapist for almost twenty years and am passionate about challenging any stigma around mental health struggles and treatment.

About the author: Lisa Varchol Perron is the author of several books and more than seventy poems for kids. In addition to Wonder Why, her current books include the Junior Library Guild Selection Patterns Everywhere, All the Rocks We Love (named a 2024 Best Science Book for Kids by NPR’s Science Friday), and the board books My Love For You, Tell Me About Oceans, and Tell Me About Space (an NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book). She lives outside of Boston, Massachusetts with her family. For more about Lisa and her writing, please visit https://lisaperronbooks.com/

The time for wolves is DIRE!

News spread this week about the de-extinction of a dire wolf. Dire wolves went extinct in the wild over 10,000 years ago. They are still extinct. Some wolves, however, have been rescued from the brink of extinction. Sadly, none from extinction.

The so-called dire wolf pups are genetically modified wolves. Let's talk implications. Wolves have been brought to the brink of extinction many times. Many wolf species are currently threatened or endangered. Tragically, just days ago, a Mexican gray wolf 2996, named Ella, was found dead in New Mexico. Are we equipped to handle another Canis species? It is dangerous to resurect extinct species, even though we'd love for them to be back in our world. But these are not genetically dire wolves, and if they were, their niche doesn't exist anymore. These two young wolf pups will most likely live and die in captivity, but should they be released or escape into the wild, they risk disprupting an ecosystem and mating. Hybridizing with another wolf species, a coyote, or a dog would create another Canis subspecies. It is difficult now to protect our wolf species -- Imagine if another subspecies further disprupts our living, essential wolf populations. It would greatly threaten ecological balance!

Let's talk ethics. That brings us all back to Jurassic Park and Dr. Ian Malcolm, one of my all-time favorite characters. "Life finds a way." "Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should." "Life will not be contained. Life breaks free, it expenads new territories and crashes through barriers, painfully, maybe even dangerously." Is is right to resurrect a species so that it can live and die in captivity? And if not what is their future? These adorable little pups are a vanity project that could have implications beyond our control.

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).