From Hamilton School, some extraordinary art and thought!

This has been a great year. VULTURE VIEW was named a Theodor Geisel Honor book by the American Library Association.

See the lovely Geisel Honor Sticker?

This relatively new award is named after Dr. Seuss and it honors both the text and illustrations of books geared for children beginning to read. I am thrilled and so happy for my work to be paired with the great illustrations done by Steve Jenkins. I attended the ALA national conference in Anaheim to accept the Honor Award.   (more…)

I have teamed up with Charlesbridge publishing, the publisher of this book, and created the Be a Stream Hero contest. The winner of the contest wins a school visit from me.

In fact, in honor of Trout Are Made of Trees, Charlesbridge publishing staff spent a day cleaning up the Charles river! (more…)

scaled fish drawings

The scaled fish drawing were one by students in Knox, Co, OH

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. (more…)

A wildly popular gift for fishermen young and old, this fish chant is a celebration of North American freshwater fish. Rhyme, rhythm, repetition, voice, and wacky illustrations bring this book to life. The backmatter is full of facts about each fish. If you’re studying rivers, streams, lakes, fish, or just how to have fun with words, this book is a great resource, not to mention plain ol’ fun.For standards, see standards page.

In June, 2004, NorthWord press is releasing my book TROUT, TROUT, TROUT: THE FISH CHANT, illustrated by Trip Park. This book goes into new and wacky territory, combining lilting language, rhyme, rhythm, informative endmatter, and gorgeous cartoonish illustrations. It’s a great gift book for nature loving children and adult anglers. It’s a hilarious read aloud for libraries…practically a performance piece. Nowhere else will you find such a joyful celebration of North American Freshwater Fish. Park’s watery illustrations are beautiful and goofy at the same time. I LOVE THIS BOOK!

SCHOOL VISITS GO DIGITAL
I’ve gone high tech and high content with my talks this year. My new programs feature digital video of rain forests, hummingbirds, and giant damselflies, plus solid advice and activities related to the writing process, specifically about revision. If I haven’t visited your area in a while, you’ll be amazed how my talks have evolved. I bring my own laptop and digital projector so schools don’t have to hassle with equipment. Last fall I visited fantastic schools in Kentucky, New York state, and South Carolina. Check the Educator’s corner for some creative things educators did at those schools and their reviews of my talks. (Be sure to check out the PASTA ART, which was extraordinary.) I also had a terrific visit to the OKI Literature Conference, where I gave the opening remarks.

ONE IS A SNAIL, TEN IS A CRAB has been a huge hit. It’s been translated into Japanese, Dutch, and French and it’s done well in Britain. Teachers are loving this for math for grades K-5. Yes this book really does work at the older grades. See my Educator’s Corner for what various grades have done with it.

SECRETS OF SOUND was also lauded by CCBC as one of 40 books that were outstanding in their depiction of science and scientists.

Adventures in Nature!
In February Jeff and I had a great adventure in the Amazon rain forest in Peru. We saw giant otters, parrots, macaws, pink river dolphins, and a HARPY EAGLE! We rode in dugout canoes and fished for piranha. We were in a wild part of the Amazon, far from civilization and city lights, so the stars were magnificent at night.