Here Come the Humpbacks! My new nonfiction picture book, illustrated by Jamie Hogan of Maine, traces the migration of a humpback whale from the Caribbean to Stellwagen Banks near New England. The main narrative text is supplemented by expository sidebars. It’s a tad older, longer read than some of my youngest picture books. It’s a good pairing with Turtle, Turtle, Watch Out! because it traces some of the environmental challenges along the migrating animal’s journey. NSTA Recommends has commentary on how to use it in science units and NC Teacher Stuff‘s STEM Friday post mentions using it in teaching different kinds of nonfiction writing.

Rah, rah, raspberries! Go, go, grapes! Prepare yourselves. Go, Go, Grapes: a Fruit Chant will be released May 22, 2012.  I’m proud of the luscious photos, which were taken primarily at our local farmer’s market, small grocery stores in our town, and a few markets I visited on travels. Several fruit parties had to be held to munch all the fruit I purchased from friendly fruit folk!

Oh boy, bok choy! Rah, Rah, Radishes: a Vegetable Chant is out in stores. (Go, Go, Grapes: a Fruit Chant will follow in May 2012.) My thanks to all of you who encouraged me to keep pursuing a home for the veggie book.  I hope it encourages kids to taste delicious vegetable words and the vegetables, too.

This book was inspired by our observations of howler monkeys in Panama.  To hear howler monkeys I recorded in Panama, click on the calls below. You can also hear toucans grinding their bills, parrots flying, hummingbirds clicking. Howler call edited Howler call begins edited Howler

Back by popular demand! This book is back in print and better than ever, with expanded main text, more endmatter about various species of sea turtles, and new illustrations. It was named as one of the best children’s books of the year by the Bank Street College.

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Honk, Honk, Goose: Canada Geese Start a Family debuts April 14, 2009.

How can a leaf become a fish? Join two young children and two adults to find out, as they observe life in and around a stream. Energetic collage art and simple, lyrical text depict the ways plants and animals are connected in the food web.

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Vulture View, a Theodor Geisel Honor Book, American Library Association. I am so excited about this book! It explores the life of vultures, surely some of the most underappreciated cleaners in the world. It also teaches kids about warm air rising and cooling air sinking.

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Bird, Bird, Bird is follow-up to the wildly popular Trout, Trout, Trout: A Fish Chant celebrates American birds and bird diversity in general through a wild chant of their common names.

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