Some Happy Buzz!
I’m thrilled to learn that the Junior Library Guild has selected Honeybee Rescue: A Backyard Drama as one of their 2022 Gold Standard titles. This new picture book comes out on May 10, but you can pre-orders a copy today if you’d like! Support local booksellers by ordering through bookshop.org or by finding a brick & mortar shop near you with Indiebound.
Representation Matters
I’m proud to add my name to the more than 600 organizations and individuals who have signed this powerful statement from the National Coalition Against Censorship. Because “[b]ooks help students connect with characters whose stories reflect their own lives. They also widen their view of a changing world that embraces diversity and multiculturalism.”
Introducing …
My newest picture book for readers 5-8 years old–plus all their friends & family–is coming from Charlesbridge in May 2022!*
Honeybee Rescue, filled with eye-popping images by Ellen Harasimowicz, tells the story of beekeeper John Connery and the colony of honeybees that moved out of his backyard hive box and into his ramshackle garage. With a New England winter on the horizon, these bees needed a new home. But how does one relocate 70,000 honeybees and their honeycomb hive? Enter Mr. Jon Nelson, bee rescuer. This is a backyard drama you don’t want to miss.
Think this is a book for you or your favorite kid readers? Or your neighbors who keep bees? Or your parents or cousins or dentist? Perhaps the local library or elementary school? Pre-order a copy now so you can put it in their hands as soon as it’s available. (Pre-ordering a new book is one of the most helpful things you can do for your favorite authors. Truly!)
* All fingers and toes crossed that worldwide shipping delays and supply chain issues don’t impact this release date. I’ll keep you posted.
** Can’t wait to learn more about honeybee rescue-ing? Check out this article I wrote about Jon Nelson and his work, published in the the online literary journal Multiplicity.
Writing and Teaching
Do you know about Chalk + Ink, the podcast for writers who teach and teachers who write? If not, you should! Host Kate Narita, children’s book author and fourth grade teacher, has created a bright and thoughtful space for sharing and learning. I was honored at her invitation to share some of my thoughts and experiences. Want to listen in? Click here!
As some of you know, I’m into haiku. I love to read them, and I especially love the challenge of writing them. (It all started here.) So of course I’m thrilled to share the news that the recent issue of Farmer-ish, a journal that celebrates farming, growing, and the arts, contains a small collection of my poems. You can read them here, and explore the full Fall issue of the journal here.
Happy Reading! Happy Fall!
I was thrilled to join Jennifer Swanson and Jeff Gonyea on their delightfully curious new podcast, Solve it! For Kids. Our guiding question for the day was a favorite of mine: How Do You Meet the Moths in Your Neighborhood? I hope you’ll give this episode a listen, but don’t miss all the other great questions asked (and answered) on this show recently, including:
Where are the Aliens? (with Dr. Ryan Macdonald)
What Can Ancient Rhinos Tell Us About the Midwest? (with Dr. Alison Pearce Stevens)
How Do Super Stinky Plants Save Soil? (with Dr. Colleen Kelley)
and so many more!
Join author Melissa Stewart, illustrator Lita Judge, and me for a far-reaching conversation about careers in science, particularly ones dedicated to sharing the world of discovery with young people. You can register for this free virtual event here. I hope to see you!
I’m pleased to have an essay featured in the Fall issue of Farmer-ish, a journal dedicated to celebrating both farming and the literary arts. In Bounty on Top of Bounty, I write about motherlessness, mothering, growing food, and growing up. It’s a very personal story, long in the making. I’m glad it’s found such a perfect a home, and hope you’ll give it a read.
I’m thrilled to have this photo and a handful of recent haiku appear on the Multiplicity blog this month. You can read them here.
Happy May Day! Happy May! Happy Moth-watching season!
I’m thrilled to announce that Charlesbridge Publishing and I have crafted a Moth Ball Starter Pack to help you and your family get to know the moths in your neighborhood. Contents of the prize box include a signed copy of You’re Invited to a Moth Ball, 25 bookmarks to give out at your moth ball, a beginner field guide to butterflies and moths, and … drum roll, please! … your very own insect collecting light. For a chance to win, click on over to the official Moth Ball Starter Pack Giveaway page and complete the form at the bottom of the screen.
(Please note: participants must reside in the continental United States.)
Good luck, friends!
