Author: Loree Burns

This week and last were filled with so many interesting and touching connections that I simply can’t leave for the weekend without mentioning them. Each has affected me in ways that I am not able to articulate well yet, though I will continue to sift through them and ponder…

There was a connection with the second-graders in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts who were tickled to learn that my father-in-law was once a second grader in their beloved Paton School; and the connection with my father-in-law, who was tickled to share his funny school days stories with me; a colleague from my graduate school days, a woman I have not seen for more than ten years, stopped in to reconnect on the morning I visited her son’s school (it was good to see you, Gul!); and yesterday I attended a moving tribute to a man I never met—a man who died much too soon—whose friends donated copies of my book to the schools he grew up in.

I have been so moved by these seemingly random and yet powerfully purposeful connections. They are layered atop the many other relationships forged over the past four years (my TRASHy years): men and women of science whose work I have grown to admire so much, writers and publishing people I have come to know and learn from, the interesting and generous people who invite me to their schools, or who visit this blog. I have always known that books transform lives, but I continue to be astounded at how much this one book has transformed mine.

Connectiing with Curt Ebbesmeyer in Ocean Shores, Washington
Photo by Betty Jenewin

I’m off to make more connections at the New England SCBWI Spring Conference. Details next week, of course. In the meanwhile, have a great weekend.

 

Me? A day trip to NYC? Uh oh.

But, I found the train station in Providence, found the correct platform and train, found the Penn Station exit to 8th Avenue and then—what luck!—found Erica Zappy in the cab queue. This last was a great find, because Erica is a hip and saavy former New Yorker: she wrangled us a cab, got us to the American Museum of Natural History, hiked four flights of stairs with her goofy-author-who-suddenly-cannot-stomach-elevators, and delivered us both to the luncheon with thirty minutes to spare.

Phew.

The John Burroughs Association greeter welcomed Erica and I with news that every attendee would be leaving the luncheon with a complete set of Burroughs Award works … all four Nature Books for Young Readers, the Medal Book Award winner, and the Outstanding Published Nature Essay. Classy, yes?

My pile o’ 2007 Burroughs award books.

The first award of the day—The John Burroughs Award for an Outstanding Published Nature Essay—went to Christopher Cokinos, whose essay THE CONSOLATIONS OF EXTINCTION was published in the May/June 2007 issue of Orion. (I read this essay on the train ride home and found it so very insightful and hopeful that I encourage all of you to read it.)

Next, Certificates of Commendation were bestowed upon the authors and editors of the 2007 List of Nature Books for Young Readers:

IT’S A BUTTERFLY’S LIFE
Written and illustrated by Irene Kelly
Edited by Mary Cash
Holiday House, 2007

TRACKING TRASH
By Me!
Edited by Erica Zappy
Houghton Mifflin, 2007

BEING CARIBOU
by Karsten Heuer
Walker & Company, 2007

WHERE IN THE WILD?
Written by David M. Schwartz and Yael Schy
Illustrated with photographs by Dwight Kuhn
Tricycle Press, 2007

Only Irene and I and our editors were in attendance, and we all managed to make it from our table to the podium and back again without incident. Very nice.

The finale was the presentation of the 2008 John Burroughs Medal to author Julia Whitty for her book THE FRAGILE EDGE (Houghton, 2007). Julia’s remarks were a fitting end to the afternoon … she shared her passion for the amazing writers who have been honored with John Burroughs medals in the past, including Rachel Carson, Carl Safina, Aldo Leopold, Loren Eiseley and so many others. I enjoyed her words and look forward to reading her book.

The rest of the afternoon was spent here and meandering through the vast wings of the Museum. When I was too tired to see any more, I collected my bag o’ books and my wit and set out to hail my first cab. 8th Avenue. Penn Station. The Acela Express. Providence Station. Home.

Easy peasy.

 

From the Incredibly Good News Department: TRACKING TRASH was included on the 2007 John Burroughs List of Nature Books for Young Readers. Here is a blurb about the List from the John Burroughs Association website:

“The John Burroughs List of Nature Books for Young Readers, recognizing outstanding natural history books for children that contain perceptive and artistic accounts of direct experiences in the world of nature, was established in 1988 to recognize Burroughs’ efforts to awaken interest in young naturalists. Each year, the results of the competition are formally recognized at the John Burroughs Association’s award ceremony, held at the American Museum of Natural History in New York.”

And so I will travel to NYC on Monday (gulp!) and have lunch with the John Burroughs Association and with the other authors being honored this year. In preparation, I’ve been reading their amazing books …

IT’S A BUTTERFLY’S LIFE
Written and illustrated by Irene Kelly
Holiday House, 2007
This picture book about the life of a butterfly includes every twist and turn, all outlined in a gentle style that intrigues and never overwhelms. I’m looking forward to reading the companion, IT’S A HUMMINGBIRD’S LIFE.

BEING CARIBOU
by Karsten Heuer
Walker & Company, 2007
This book is just lovely. The author and his wife, filmmaker Leanne Allison, spent five months migrating hundreds of miles with a herd of caribou. Their hard-earned insights into the hardship and the beauty of an epic migration are unforgettable. Do spend a moment, if you can, at Heuer’s website to learn about his Necessary Journeys. Absolutely inspiring stuff.

WHERE IN THE WILD?
Written by David M. Schwartz and Yael Schy
Illustrated with photographs by Dwight Kuhn
Tricycle Press, 2007
This book of poems is illustrated with startling images of creatures camouflaged in the wild. The poems provide clues to the creature hidden in each photograph, and a lift-the-flap format provides answers for those animals that are too hard to find. Very nicely done!

I also spent some time with BIRCH BROWSINGS, A John Burroughs Reader (Penguin, 1992), because—I am not sure I should admit this—I was not familiar with John Burroughs’s work. They essay that caught my eye first is called “An Idyl of the Honey-Bee”. It was a joy; I am honored to be part of a booklist that pays homage to this man, and I’m looking forward to more essays during the train ride on Monday.

 

Science teacher Julie Taylor, who sent me these images from the SEPA Luncheon. Thank you, Julie!

This is me with science teachers Steve Rich, Julie Taylor and Kathleen Horstmeyer.

This is me after my presentation was over with … cool as a cucumber. (Ha!)

 

10. Science teachers … all of ‘em;

9. Hanging out with my Houghton editor, Erica Zappy;

8. Meeting Houghton editor, Monica Perez;

7. The lovely science teacher who realized my computer, which died moments before my presentation, was simply unplugged;

6. Sharing my appreciation and gratitude for James Micarelli, the science teacher who changed my life, with a room full of science teachers;

5. The exhibition hall and the raffle prizes (oh, but I wanted to win a microscope!)

4. The coolest science T-shirt sale ever (including one about saving the planet and teaching science which I am kicking myself for not buying);

3. Chatting with Andy Boyles from Boyds Mills Press;

2. Science books, science books, and more science books (including this one, given to me by the author, science teacher Steve Rich;

1. Science teachers … all of ‘em.

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In a moment I am off for a day at the National Science Teachers Association conference in Boston. I’ll be speaking at the Science Education Presidential Awards Luncheon, a celebration of our nation’s best science teachers. Science teachers, you may recall, are very important to me … especially this one. I’m pretty excited about this event, and, truth be told, even a bit nervous.

That is, I was nervous. Last night, however, I made several resolutions. The first was never to get worked up and anxious over a presentation. I also decided not to dwell on rejection or worry about book sales or sweat parking tickets or begrudge my children their petty arguments. Instead I will wake up each morning, stick my head outdoors, breathe deeply the new day, and thank all that is good to not be stuck in an elevator.

That’s right. Last night I got stuck in an elevator.

It was the worst three minutes and forty seconds of my entire life.

Nothing … not one single thing that I can think of … is worse than being stuck in a metal box in the bowels of a building with a handful of complete strangers who are breathing your air.

And so I am off to my presentation with a carefree attitude and a smile on my face. No worries here. And I am wishing all of you a worry-free, elevator-free weekend, too!

 

Check out this podcast created by the talented kids at Elmhurst School in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. They interviewed Gordon Morrison, another nonfiction author, and me during the fabulous ‘March Into Reading’ celebration in Newport last month.

Didn’t they do a great job?

Isn’t Gordon Morrison lovely?

Don’t I talk FAST?

Nice work, boys and girls! And thank you Gloria Schmidt, Elmhurst librarian and podcast director, for sharing the link.