A Nod to the Experts
I had the chance to talk with writer Michelle Cusolito and our Charlesbridge Publishing editor Karen Boss about the role experts play in helping us ensure our nonfiction for children is entirely accurate. Check out our conversation below …
In Conversation with Dr. Gabriela Chavarria
This was fun! In May, I had the chance to virtually visit the Burke Museum and speak with its director, Dr. Gabriela Chavarria, about bees and storytelling. The event was recorded by the wonderful folks at The University Bookstore, and you can watch the full thing by clicking below. Enjoy!
Fun fact: I did not know we were rolling when I told my moth joke. Oops!
Local Love: books, bookstores, and urban habitats
This past weekend, local author Maria Gianferrari and I launched new children’s books about urban wildlife at Worcester’s wonderful local indie bookseller, Tidepool Bookshop. And because all of us–Maria, myself, and Tidepool co-owners Jo and Huck Truesdell–live and work and play in Worcester county, we decided to make this launch event extra special by supporting an organization that we each believe in personally, the Greater Worcester Land Trust. We’ve created the two prize baskets pictured above and we are raffling them off, with all proceeds going directly to GWLT.
How do you enter? Easy! Visit Tidepool Bookshop (372 Chandler Street, Worcester, MA) and purchase a signed copy of either Honeybee Rescue or Bobcat Prowling; you’ll get a raffle entry. You can purchase additional raffle tickets at a rate of 3 for $5, no purchase necessary.
What do you win? A lot! Here’s the rundown …
Grand Prize Nature Lover’s Basket
*Signed copies of Loree’s books HONEYBEE RESCUE, YOU’RE INVITED TO A MOTH BALL, HANDLE WITH CARE and CITIZEN SCIENTISTS
*Signed copies of Maria’s picture books BOBCAT PROWLING, COYOTE MOON, HAWK RISING and WHOO-KU HAIKU
*Pocket binoculars
*Naturalist’s notebook
*Massachusetts field guide to wildlife, birds, trees & wildflowers
*AND … a virtual classroom/library author visit from Loree & Maria!
Sweet Runner-up Basket
*Signed copy of Loree’s HONEYBEE RESCUE
*Signed copy of Maria’s BOBCAT PROWLING
*Rescue honey from B.B. Apiaries (owner Jon Nelson is the star of Loree’s book!)
*Honey dipper
*Hershey kisses
The raffle is open throughout the month of May, so find a time to get yourself over to Tidepool soon! We’ll contact the winners after the drawing and you can pick up the basket at the store.
An Extravaganza!
Book Launch and Library Fundraiser
Saturday, May 21, 11:00 am
8 Newton Street
West Boylston, MA
Please join me as I celebrate the publication of my newest book for children, HONEYBEE RESCUE, with a library fundraising book extravaganza!
Why a fundraiser? Because Beaman Memorial Public Library is my hometown library and the librarians there have not only supported my reading life for the past twenty years, but also enthusiastically supported my career, buying copies of my books for the children’s room, sponsoring town-wide reads based on them, and hosting six book launches in the Stiles Room. But mostly because I want this hub of our community to be here forever.
Why should you come? Because it’ll be fun! I’ll be sharing a little bit of the story behind HONEYBEE RESCUE: A BACKYARD DRAMA and giving away a some rescue honey harvested and bottled by Jon Nelson, star of the book. Because books make great gifts–for graduates, for teachers, for yourself, for summer birthdays, for your favorite Little Free Library, for your kid or grandkid’s classroom or camp or after school program, for leaving on a public bench as a gift to the world. And because this will be an easy way for you to help support the library, too.
Copies of HONEYBEE RESCUE, filled with eye-popping images by local photographer Ellen Harasimowicz, will be available for sale and signing along with all my other children’s books. Proceeds will benefit the Beaman Memorial Public Library Endowment Fund.
To read more about the books that I’ll have on hand, check out this page.
I hope to see you on Saturday!
The Silver Unicorn Bookstore
I’m so thrilled to be visiting The Silver Unicorn Bookstore during book launch month. This Acton, MA bookstore is a complete delight and you should totally visit if you haven’t been there yet. Maybe Saturday, May 14? At 11am?
A Hometown Launch Celebration
It’s finally here: launch month for Honeybee Rescue: A Backyard Drama, a new picture book from myself, photographer Ellen Harasimowicz, and Charlesbridge Publishing. To celebrate, my friends at Root & Press are hosting an evening launch event at their Worcester, MA store. Books will be available for sale and signing, of course, and there will be refreshments, raffles, and storytelling. I hope you’ll join us in-person to buzz up your hump day!
Wednesday, May 11 at 5:30pm
Root & Press, Cafe & Books
623 Chandler Street
Worcester, MA
Can’t make it in-person? Don’t fret! You can support the book and Root & Press by purchasing a copy through this convenient Bookshop link. And here’s a bonus treat: you can also order a copy of You’re Invited to a Moth Ball, the picture book Ellen and I released during the pandemic. All books ordered through this link will be mailed to directly to you.
Calling All Nature Lovers
Please join me and children’s author Maria Gianferrari for a celebration of nature, nature spaces, and nature books at Worcester, MA’s TidePool Bookshop on Sunday, May 22nd at 1PM. We’ll be chatting about our most recent nature books, HONEYBEE RESCUE (illustrated by Ellen Harasimowicz and published by Charlesbridge Publishing), and BOBCAT PROWLING (illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline and published by MacKids Books) and also celebrating urban wildlife and habitats. We plan to raffle off two goodie baskets to raise funds for our favorite local conservation group, Greater Worcester Land Trust .
Order books through Tidepool here and you will automatically be entered into the raffle. You can also buy books in person at the store during the week before the event or at the event itself. Additional raffle entry tickets can be purchased, 3 for $5. The raffle baskets include:
Grand Prize Nature Lover’s Basket
Signed copies of Loree’s books HONEYBEE RESCUE, YOU’RE INVITED TO A MOTH BALL, HANDLE WITH CARE and CITIZEN SCIENTISTS
Signed copies of Maria’s picture books BOBCAT PROWLING, COYOTE MOON, HAWK RISING and WHOO-KU HAIKU
Pocket binoculars
Naturalist’s notebook
Massachusetts field guide to wildlife, birds, trees & wildflowers
AND … a virtual author visit from Loree & Maria!
Sweet Runner-up Basket
Signed copy of Loree’s HONEYBEE RESCUE
Signed copy of Maria’s BOBCAT PROWLING
Rescue honey from B.B. Apiaries (owner Jon Nelson is the star of Loree’s book!)
Honey dipper
Hershey kisses
We would love to see you there! If you use Facebook, you can RSVP for the event here.
First Review!
The first trade journal review of Honeybee Rescue: A Backyard Drama is in … and it’s a star from Kirkus. You can read the full review here.
Do You Haiku?
Please join me and a small band of local haiku enthusiasts to reconsider and reconnect with the natural world through this seemingly simple poetic form. We’ve been meeting online through the pandemic but starting this month, we will meet in person at the Beaman Memorial Public Library in West Boylston, MA. We welcome teenagers and adults, beginners and masters and everyone in between. The only requirement is that you be interested in exploring haiku in English. Join us monthly as we wander indoors and out, reading, writing, and sharing our poems.
*Please note: attendees must email [email protected] at least 24 hours prior to this program to register.
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.
