Category: Blog

Posted on

Green Earth Book Awards

Andri, me, Phil, Tiffany, Eliot, and Melissa at the Ward Museum Photo courtesy Salisbury University
Andri, me, Phil, Tiffany, Eliot, and Melissa
Photo courtesy Salisbury University

My little life in books is very, very busy these days and I’m having lots of great experiences … even if I am not finding time to blog about them. In the past two weeks I’ve visited three schools (waves to the super students at Runkle, Upham, and Winthrop elementary schools), delivered one keynote lecture (cheers to the Rhode Island Science Teachers Association), and spent an entire weekend celebrating readers, writers, and planet Earth with people who care deeply about all three.

For this last event, the environmentalists at The Nature Generation and the children’s book-saavy faculty of Salisbury University teamed up to put on an amazing Read Green festival and to award the 2013 Green Earth Book Awards. It was such an honor to cheer the winners of a literary contest for area students, to work with students at Salisbury Middle School, to see Ellen Harasimowicz‘s photos on display at the Ward Museum of Waterfowl Art, to accept a Green Earth Book Award for CITIZEN SCIENTISTS, and to speak with teachers and teachers-to-be at the Read Green conference.

On top of all that Read Green goodness? I got to hear Eliot Schrefer speak about ENDANGERED, his National Book Award nominated YA novel. (Aside: it’s a must-read, folks.)  I met Tiffany Trent, chicken-raiser, beekeeper, and author of the environmentally-themed steampunk YA novel THE UNNATURALISTS. (Yes, I bought myself a copy. Yes, I am excited to read it!) I bonded with author friends old and new, including author Melissa Stewart, photographer/author Shelley Rotner, Icelandic rock star Andri Magnason, and teenaged author/illustrator/environmentalist Olivia Bouler.

I am holding these people and all of my Maryland moments close as I type this morning; it truly was an unforgettable weekend. (I haven’t even mentioned my afternoon with the wild ponies of Assateague! A thousand thank yous to Patty Dean and Ernest Bond for those memories.)  The event that sums the entire Green Earth experience best for me, though, is this one …

On Friday night, at the Green Earth Book Award ceremonies, I was serenaded by Phillip Hoose. Okay, he didn’t sing to me exclusively, he sang to everyone in the room. Still … his rendition of the song he co-wrote with his daughter Hannah, Hey, Little, Ant, captured the mood and the magic of this evening so perfectly that I doubt I will ever forget it. Here’s a sip of that moment for you: a previously recorded audio of Phil and Hannah performing Hey, Little Ant. (Go ahead, click over and scroll down and click again and enjoy it. You won’t regret it. Trust me!)

So … it’s been a whirlwind. And things around here aren’t going to slow down anytime soon. It’s planting season in Massachusetts, and I’m busy starting seeds and bedding asparagus and pruning vines. I’m learning how to manage my bees (yes, they survived the winter!) and my daughter and I are embarking on a new husbandry adventure: chickens. I’ll be visiting with students in New Jersey, Massachusetts, and New York over the next two weeks, too. Life is busy. Life is good. Spring has sprung. I’m embracing it all. I hope you are, too.

Posted on

Got Plans Tonight?

GRW_Logo_2013_thumb

 

At 7pm tonight (Wednesday, March 20, 2013), I’ll join several central Massachusetts writers in a panel discussion at the Groton Public Library. This event kicks of a month-long celebration of reading and writing that is built around a town-wide reading of Stephen King’s book ON WRITING. (How cool is that?) We panelists plan to talk about the book and our reactions to it, and to share our own experiences with the art and business of telling (& selling) stories.

Who will be there, you ask? Check it out …

Cal Armistead

Ann Haywood Leal

Greg R. Fishbone

David S. Brody

Loree Griffin Burns

Not a bad way to spend the first night of spring, right? Come on down! Join us!

 

 

Posted on

Nonfiction Monday: Pamela Turner’s Next Big Thing

51m3iZh4cKL._SX285_

THE DOLPHINS OF SHARK BAY

by Pamela S. Turner

Houghton Mifflin Company, 2013

Category: Middle-grade nonfiction

One of the many rewarding aspects of my career as a writer of science and nature books for young people is meeting other writers who share my passion for these topics. For the most part, these are men and women whose work I read and admired for a long time before I actually had a chance to meet them in person. That is certainly true for my colleague Pamela Turner.

If you are a fan of Houghton Mifflin’s ‘Scientists in the Field’ series, then you know Pamela’s books. THE GORILLA DOCTORS, THE FROG SCIENTIST and PROJECT SEAHORSE won many accolades for the series, including starred reviews, an SB&F Prize and more. What you may not know is that Pam is a wife, mother of three grown children, a passionate scuba diver, and even dabbles in Japanese swordfighting. (I am not kidding! Learn more at her website.)

Today, I’m happy to host Pam as she answers a few questions about her upcoming Scientists in the Field book, THE DOLPHINS OF SHARK BAY. It’ll be out this fall, and it is Pam’s Next Big Thing. Here’s a peek:

1. What is the working title of your book?

The title is The Dolphins of Shark Bay, and it already appears on Amazon with a release date of November 5, 2013. I should get a final proof of the layout in the next week or so.

2. Where did the idea come from for the book?

I was at the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) conference a few years ago to receive an award for The Frog Scientist. In a presentation on the ethical implications of dolphin intelligence the speaker casually mentioned that some wild bottlenose dolphins in Western Australia use tools. Are you kidding me? I thought. I MUST find out more…

3. What genre does your book come under?

The Dolphins of Shark Bay is a nonfiction science book for children age ten and up. It’s illustrated with amazing color photographs by Scott Tuason, who also shot the photographs for my book Project Seahorse.

4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

The dolphins would play themselves, and cheesy computer-generated scenes would be banned. I would cast Sandra Bullock as Dr. Janet Mann. Eric Patterson could play himself because he’s already ridiculously good-looking. I would be played by Steven Colbert in drag.

5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Everyone knows dolphins are smart. The Dolphins of Shark Bay seeks to answer the question: Why are dolphins smart? (Okay, two sentences).

6. Who is publishing your book?

The Dolphins of Shark Bay will be published by Houghton Mifflin this fall.

7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

About six months.

8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Surprisingly, there are very few books on bottlenose dolphins for middle grade children and young adults–mostly “factoid” books. In format Dolphins is much like other “Scientists in the Field” titles.

9. Who or what inspired you to write this book?

I’ve been a scuba diver for twenty-eight years, and each time I’ve seen wild dolphins underwater it was like a visitation from an angel. (Not that dolphins are actually angelic, as you’ll discover in The Dolphins of Shark Bay.)

10. What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

Many of the female dolphins in Shark Bay are incredible innovators and amazing athletes. The lives of adult male dolphins, on the other hand, perpetually resemble a sixth-grade slumber party where everybody is talking about everybody else and trying desperately to wiggle into the “cool” crowd. I would not want to be a male bottlenose dolphin!

Check out the Scientists in the Field blog for news and updates on all the Scientists in the field titles, their authors, and their subjects.

And be sure to catch this week’s roundup of Nonfiction Monday posts over at Perogies & Gyoza today.

Posted on

And the winner is …

OceanSunlight

Sue Heavenrich!

Sue has won a copy of Ocean Sunlight, signed by co-author Penny Chisholm. I didn’t mention this in my original raffle post, but Penny is a Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she and her lab study marine phytoplankton. (Of course!) She is a wonderful woman and an excellent scientist and I was lucky to meet her at the AAAS meeting in Boston a few weeks ago, where she signed this raffle book.

So … congratulations, Sue! I think you are really going to enjoy this read. Please send your mailing address to me at lgb (at) loreeburns (dot) com and I’ll get it in the mail first thing Monday.

Posted on

Nonfiction Monday Giveaway: Ocean Sunlight

OceanSunlight

OCEAN SUNLIGHT:

HOW TINY PLANTS FEED THE SEAS

by Molly Bang & Penny Chisholm

The Blue Sky Press, 2012

Category: Picture book

If you were reading this blog back in 2010, you might remember my love for LIVING SUNLIGHT, the brilliant picture book, also by Bang and Chisholm, that introduced young readers to the process of photosynthesis and the chemistry of life on our planet. I still recommend that book to kids, teachers, and strangers on the street; it is simply the most accessible look at the topic I’ve ever seen.

And now, a sequel to sing about!

OCEAN SUNLIGHT furthers the story, sharing with readers the tale of a “billion billion billion” tiny plants floating in the ocean’s surface layer, turning sunlight into energy that further fuels life on Earth. With only 781 words spread across forty-four beautifully illustrated pages, Bang and Chisholm have created another masterpiece. This is a book everyone can read and learn from. This is a book everyone should read and learn from.

So, would you like a copy? Signed by Penny Chisholm?

Great! Just leave a comment on this post by 5pm EST on Thursday, March 14, 2013.  If you spread the word about the contest on your social media outlets, leave me a second comment telling me so and I’ll add your name to the raffle drawing a second time. On Thursday night I’ll hold the raffle and on Friday morning I’ll post the winner.  A couple rules:

1. Winners must live in the continental United States. I’ll send the book to the winner by USPS Media Mail next Monday.

2. Please remember to check back on Friday to see if you’ve won; I’ll post instructions then for how to get me your mailing address.

3. If you already won a giveaway this month (I’m looking at you, Mary Laughton and Laura Purdie Salas) you can’t enter again.

4. Good luck, and happy reading!

A few last links before you go:

For a peek at the other SB&F Prize-winning titles raffled off here lately, check out this post about Sy Montgomery’s TEMPLE GRANDIN and this post about Terrie Williams’ THE ODYSSEY OF KP2.

And for a the weekly lode of great children’s nonfiction, check out this week’s round-up of Nonfiction Monday posts over at Sally’s Bookshelf.

Posted on

And the winner is …

TempleGrandin

It’s raffle time!

I printed the names of all the entrants in my TEMPLE GRANDIN giveaway on strips of paper, folded them up, mixed them into a vase (the favorite mug I used for last week’s giveaway was too small this week!) and had one of the Burns kids draw a winner.

Congratulations, Laura Salas!

Please send your mailing address to me at lgb (at) loreeburns (dot) com, Laura, and I’ll get your book in the mail first thing Monday.

I’ll be raffling one last signed SB&F Prize winning book (OCEAN SUNLIGHT, by Molly Bang and Penny Chisholm) next Monday, so please come back and check it out.

Posted on

Neary School

© Loree Griffin Burns
© Loree Griffin Burns

This was Book Week at the Neary School in Massachusetts, and I was thrilled to help the staff and students celebrate by talking with fourth and fifth graders about citizen science. As is always the case during my time with students, special moments were everywhere. One of the sweetest was writing this dedication, dictated by a student buying a copy of Tracking Trash for her older sister.

Sort of makes you want to go buy someone you love a book, doesn’t it?

Thank you, Neary School, for a great day. Long live books, the people who celebrate them, and the people who share them!

Posted on

March Public Events

MicStudents
Courtesy Carol Gordon Ekster

Attention Massachusetts teachers, librarians, writers, and readers! I’m participating in a couple free local events in the coming month, and one or both may be interesting to you. Here are the details …

Educator Appreciation Week

March 8-12, 2013

Annie’s Book Stop of Worcester

65 James Street, Worcester, MA

Events are held each evening at 7pm and include local authors and shopping discounts for teachers. I’ll be at Annie’s on Monday night to talk to teachers and librarians (and whoever else pops in!) about science in the classroom and my books, but there are authors scheduled every night. Check out the full lineup of speakers and topics at the Annie’s Book Stop blog.

Groton READS & WRITES Author Panel

March 19, 2013 at 7pm

Groton Public Library

99 Main Street, Groton, MA

This event is part of Groton’s super-cool townwide celebration of reading and writing. The entire town is reading Steven King’s ON WRITING (!) and then gathering for a series of panel discussions, writing workshops, open mic nights, and author visits. Check out the full details on the official Groton READS & WRITES webpage.

A word on the photo: Linda Coviello and I both graduated from Everett High School and were both inspired by our biology teacher there, Mr. James Micarelli. We met this past Monday at the Massachsuetts State Library Association conference and had a grand old time praising our teacher-hero.
Posted on

My Next Big Thing

The Next Big Thing is a blog meme designed to get authors and illustrators talking about their works-in-progress My friend Kathy Erskine blogged about her Next Big Things last week (yes, Kathy has TWO books on the horizon) and then tagged me so that I could join the fun. Thank you, Kathy!

So, here we go …

1.  What is the working title of your book?

The working title has been Special Delivery: A Butterfly Story for years, and I am really, really, REALLY attached to it. Unfortunately, there has recently been talk of changing it.  Apparently someone else is working on a children’s book with the same title, and that someone may beat me to publication. Bah! Keep your fingers crossed for me!

2.  Where did the idea come from for the book?

I wrote about the genesis of this book a while ago, in a post on my blog. The short version is this: in 2008 I took my kids to the Butterfly Garden at the Museum of Science in Boston; I found the idea for this book just hanging out there, on a ficus tree.

3.  What genre does your book come under?

Special Delivery will be my first picture book. It’s nonfiction, of course, and illustrated with full color photographs by Ellen Harasimowicz.

4.  Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a move rendition?

The main characters in Special Delivery are tropical caterpillars, pupae, and butterflies. There are a few cameos by the farmers who live and work at El Bosque Nuevo, a butterfly farm in Costa Rica, and by Lea Morgan, the Assistant Curator of the Butterfly Garden at the Museum of Science in Boston. These folks are super cool, interesting people and I think they should play themselves.

5.  What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Special Delivery shares the surprising and far-flung life story of the tropical butterflies on exhibit at your local museum or zoo. Did you know that most of these butterflies spend their caterpillar lives on farms thousands of miles away? Where they are raised en masse like a crop of carrots? It’s true!

(I know. I know. Four sentences. I couldn’t help it.)

6.  Who is publishing your book?

Special Delivery will be published by Millbrook Press in spring 2014.

7.  How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

Because this is a work of nonfiction, and because I originally envisioned it as a longer book, my first draft was actually a 20-plus page book proposal. I started writing it while I was still in Costa Rica, living and researching at El Bosque Nuevo. (You can see my ‘office’ in the righthand photo above.) I finished it about three months later in my boring, old home office. (No photo necessary; it doesn’t compare.)

8.  What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

I’m sort of stumped on this question …

The imagery reminds me of books like Pumpkin Circle: The Story of a Garden, by George Levenson and Shmuel Thaler and Nic Bishop’s visually stunning Frogs. The text, however, is more personal, a true-life story along the  lines of Owen and Mzee, by Isabella & Craig Hatkoff or Tara & Bella, by Carol Buckley.

9.  Who or what inspired you to write this book?

Plainly and simply: curiosity. Once I realized the butterflies in that museum exhibit were ‘born’ in Central America, and that they’d been shipped to the museum in the belly of a jumbo jet, I was hooked. I had to tell their story.

10.  What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

Ellen and I traveled to Costa Rica twice to research this book. Both times we lived at El Bosque Nuevo, where we were able to embed ourselves in the work of raising a crop of butterfly pupae. I will never, ever forget those trips. Especially the little bat who lived in the shower!

Thank you for reading about my Next Big Thing. Now I get to tag a couple writer pals to share their Next Big Things. I’ve got two amazing nonfiction writers in mind, and since neither of them keeps a blog, they’ve agreed to let me host their Next Big Thing posts here at A Life in Books. As if that weren’t cool enough: their new books involve dolphins and spiders. Stay tuned!