Author Visit Grant and Paperwork Help: Curriculum Standards
Do you need to write a grant, justify author visit costs, or explain the value of my visit to an administrator?Below is a list of the standards that most schools apply during studies of my books in...
View ArticleWriting Children’s Books Fundraiser for St. Joseph County Public Library Sept...
Join me for a free-ranging discussion of writing and publishing children’s books. (more…)
View ArticleNew Trend? Students Choosing Books
Great article in New York Times about teacher allowing students to choose books for study.
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August: Cayman Blue Iguana
August is for the Cayman Blue Iguana, currently being helped by a captive breeding conservation program based at the botanical garden on Grand Cayman. This free-ranging one was crossing the path....
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September: Honeybees
This honeybee swarm was in a Michigan park in May. There seem to be bees coming and going from a tree hole, lower left. Sometimes a beekeeper will collect a feral swarm such as this. Honeybees were...
View ArticleThe Fun Part of Writing Children’s Books: An Interview
Hear a bit about the fun part of my work life and my new books in an interview on the September 29, 2009 entry in Cynthia Leitich Smith’s blog.
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Fractals and Vegetables
As some of you may know, I have a little thing for vegetables. I lurve them. I munch them. I share the joy of veggies with kids. I shouted with joy when I saw this Romanescu. I’ve heard it called...
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October: That Orange Thing
The orange thingy on the head of this black swallowtail caterpillar has a wonderful name: osmeterium. It’s a sense organ that comes out when a caterpillar is threatened. It may also spread smelly...
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November: a Tail of…
I see this on the tree trunk outside my window. The animal’s name rhymes with whirl. One of its more specific common names is the traffic light color that indicates “stop.” It often sits and chews open...
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Saving Money and the World Through Soup Stock
Sure, we’ve all heard of it and seen recipes for it. We know we should make it. But who actually does? Not I, not until a couple of months ago. But then I became part of the converted secret society of...
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Another Day, Another Soup Stock
Okay, so those sweet potatoes snuck in. At this point in my soup stock making obsession, I began freezing about half of my stock batch each time. Wow, did this come in handy. I was amazed how much...
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I received a real snail mail!
I received a real snail mail, carried by a snail today, November 19, 2009. Jeff sent me an email Jun 17, 2008 via a service called www.realsnailmail.net. This service is dedicated to slowness. The...
View ArticleTurtle, Turtle, Watch Out!
Back by popular demand! This book is back in print and better than ever, with expanded main text, more endmatter about various species of sea turtles, and new illustrations. It was named as one of the...
View ArticleMeet the Howlers!
This book was inspired by our observations of howler monkeys in Panama. To hear howler monkeys I recorded in Panama, click on the calls below. You can also hear toucans grinding their bills, parrots...
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December blues
bluejay on snowy dayI snapped this blue jay photo today, December 11th. Many of our bluejays know how to make a hawk call. This scares away the other birds. Then the bluejays can swoop down and gobble...
View ArticleGiant Snails Ahead!
We just found out that Candlewick is releasing ONE IS A SNAIL, TEN IS A CRAB as a BIG book in March 2010! This will be perfect for classroom and library use. It’s 17″ x 15″. Have fun with math and...
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January Animal: the Bark Bird
Yes, I know it’s hard to see. Click here to see it larger. This is one of my all time favorite birds, the brown creeper. Talk about camouflage! It looks like bark. It walks on bark. Sometimes it nests...
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Two Best Additions To the Kitchen 2009
Our family has asthma issues and a not-so-great exhaust fan over the stove. The best solution would be a downdraft stove, better venting, and a better hood. But until we set aside the gobs of money to...
View ArticleJames Cameron’s Movie Avatar Plants, Animals, and Fungi
Are your students buzzing about the movie Avatar? Here’s how you might tie-in an extra credit biology research project for motivated students. Ask them to research and report back on some of these...
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