Category: Nonfiction Books for Kids

Booklist Gives Rocky Love

Delighted to share that Booklist has given A ROCK CAN BE… a lovely review! “[N]atural guessing game…challenging children…broaden their thinking…beautiful picture book…” What is not to love here? Thank you, Booklist! (The highlights and bold were added by me:>) A Rock Can Be … Salas, Laura Purdie (Author) , Dabija,

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I’m Nerdy!

WATER CAN BE… was named a Nerdy Book Award winner in the Poetry category. Woohoo! This means a lot, not only because of the way these awards are chosen, but also because of the fabulous other Poetry winners. This was also a big surprise. I had thought that WATER, if

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A Can Be… Nonfiction Project for Schools

What did I do this summer? I spent three weeks with K‑5 summer school students in a local school district. It was the most intense visiting author program I’ve ever done. Three weeks, four sites, 1700 students. Whew! It was hard work and incredibly rewarding. I shared this process in

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National Poetry Month Kickoff!

Educators, it’s almost April! I’m excited on two counts: 1) My new book, Water Can Be…, publishes tomorrow! I’m still creating educator materials for it, but you can find reviews, my first teaching guide, and a bunch of videos (both book trailers and content videos) here on my site. 2)

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WATER CAN BE… Trailer #2 (Family-Style!)

Excited that Water Can Be… got a lovely review in this month’s Booklist: Like its predecessor, A Leaf Can Be … (2012), this picture book explores an aspect of the natural world in a way that is imaginative but ultimately informative. A fine choice for reading aloud in the classroom

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WATER CAN BE… Trailer #1

Yikes! My pub date (April 1) for Water Can Be… (Millbrook) is fast approaching! I’m thrilled that the book got a starred review from Kirkus, and I’ve been working on a set of five different short videos for it. Two are basic trailers, one focuses on WaterAid and global water

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[my writing life] Waiting for Water

Water Can Be… (Millbrook, 2014) doesn’t come out for eight more months, but it’s been front and center for this past couple of weeks. First, I got to see the fantastic finished art by Violeta Dabija (I hope to get to share a sneak peek soon). Then, I wrote the

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[my writing life] John Burroughs Riverby Award

It’s been a feast of good news lately, and I’m incredibly grateful. I learned a couple of weeks ago that A Leaf Can Be… has been awarded the John Burroughs Riverby Award for excellent natural history books for young readers! You can see all five winning books here! I’ve eaten

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