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.