It’s my final Classroom Connections for the schoolyear! Thanks for reading:>) In April, I helped organize a virtual group book launch party. It was a blast, and some of you were there! Thank you so much for coming! Red Balloon, my local indie bookshop who kindly hosted the event, sent me the video, and I’m […]
Legit KidLit – A Fun Video to Play for Your Class
Hi teachers, it’s good to be back! I shared this Legit KidLit video once before, but it might have gotten lost in the frenzy of National Poetry Month and book launch celebrations. I think this is an awesome video to have on hand to play in your classroom during this last month or so of […]
Finding Family Is Out in the World!
Woohoo! I’m so excited to share that Finding Family is now out in the world! People have been so generous in helping to spread the word. Teacher, author-illustrator, and poet Jena Benton posted a beautiful Simply 7 interview with me yesterday, and her questions made me realize something that I had totally missed while working […]
A Finding Family Book Trailer and Teaching Guide!
In less than a week, my second picture book coming out this spring will be here! Here are two resources for you: a book trailer and a teaching guide. Hope you find them helpful! [My Classroom Connections posts share a way to connect one of my books or poems to a classroom […]
Finding Family Is Not ONLY a STEM Book
This piece first appeared in my January 2023 Small Reads e-letter for educators. Subscribe here. On March 7, my first 2023 book will come out: Finding Family: The Duckling Raised by Loons. Because it’s nonfiction, the publisher (Lerner Books) will probably emphasize the science aspect when it markets the book. That makes total sense! And […]
Oooh, It’s a Book Trailer!
I’ve got three books coming out in March, and I can’t wait to share them with you! Here’s the first one, coming out March 7 with Millbrook/Lerner. It’s a STEM book, but so much more, too! (More on that next week.) The book trailer goes live today! Lerner’s sharing the video (conceptualized by me and […]
“So Much Love” – A Definito
Happy Poetry Friday! Welcome, everyone! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) Okay, friends, here’s another definito to go with Finding Family (coming in March from Lerner). I’m having a blast with these!
“What Used to Be Whole” – A Definito to Go with a Forthcoming Book
Happy Poetry Friday! Welcome, everyone! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) I’ve shared a couple of definitos recently, and I had so much fun I decided to write some to go with the challenging vocabulary in my forthcoming books. I’ve written several for Finding Family, which comes out in March. Wouldn’t it be fun […]
Secrets of the Loon Storytimes—and What Flew By Last Night?
[Still off the grid, but I’ll be back next week!] Wow, did I have a loony summer. That’s because Yvonne Pearson (author of Little Loon Finds His Voice) and I teamed up for 14 Minnesota storytimes about loons. FOURTEEN! Whee! Here’s a quick photo gallery, and I want to give big thanks to Yvonne, Cortney […]