The Picture Book Buzz - April Interview with STEAM Team Books Members
My goodness but April is a popular month for releasing books!
Today I have the pleasure to introduce you to ten authors from the STEAM Team Books group whose books release in April. It's not too long a post and I promise well worth it!
STEAM Team Books is a group of authors who have Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math books, including fiction & nonfiction, trade or educational books, which "bring the spirit of inquiry, discovery, and creative problem-solving to learners while engaging them in rich literacy experiences." Follow #STEAMTeamBooks to catch all the info on the new STEAM/STEM children's books heading your way.
Welcome everyone,
Tell us a little about yourself. (Where/when do you write? How long have you been writing? What is your favorite type of book to write? What drew you to STEAM books?...)
Matthew Brenden Wood – The Universe: The Big Bang, Black Holes, and Blue Whales (Nomad Press 4/1/21) –
Matthew Brenden Wood is a math and science teacher with a passion for STEAM education. He is also an avid amateur astronomer and astrophotographer. Wood holds a bachelor's degree in astronomy from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and lives in Phoenix, Arizona.
[Unfortunately, unforeseen circumstances prevent Matthew from joining us. But I still want to acknowledge him and introduce you to his book.]
[Author of 4 books, including Projectile Science: The Physics Behind Kicking a Field Goal and Launching a Rocket with Science Activities for Kids (Build It Yourself)(2018), The Space Race: How the Cold War Put Humans on the Moon (Inquire & Investigate)(2018), Planetary Science: Explore New Frontiers (Inquire & Investigate)(2017), and The Science of Science Fiction (Inquire and Investigate)(2017).]
Jacquie Sewell - Whale Fall Cafe (Tilbury House 4/1/2021) - I don’t have a set time when I write. That’s a goal I’ve yet to achieve. I write in my home office. I’ve been “writing” since childhood. Before I could write I would dictate my poems and short stories to my mom. Writing assignments in grade school were a joy for me. Books, words, stories have always delighted and intrigued me. Lately I have gravitated toward informational picture books for most of my writing projects. Although, when I get braver, there is a chapter book and a novel lurking in my writer’s heart that I would love to get on paper. But I LOVE picture books! They are, in my opinion, the perfect vehicle to introduce readers of all ages to the wonders and wonderful people of our world. I enjoy STEAM books because I find the real world so fascinating.
[Author of Mighty Mac: The Bridge That Michigan Built (2017).]
Lisa Amstutz - Mammal Mania: 30 Activities and Observations for Exploring the World of Mammals (Chicago Review Press 4/1/21) – While I’ve always loved books, I never planned to be a writer. I started freelancing for magazines and the local newspaper about 15 years ago, when my kids were young and I was looking for work to do from home. I got into children’s writing several years later. My background is in science (Biology/Ecology), and I love research. So writing about STEM is a natural fit. With nonfiction, I enjoy the challenge of finding the story in a pile of facts and putting it together in a way that will appeal to kids.
[Author of about 150 books, including Plants Fight Back (2020), Amazing Amphibians (2020), Finding a Dove For Gramps (2019), Applesauce Day (2017), Nasa and the Astronauts (Destination Space) (2018), Robotics (2018), Smart Phones (How It Works)(2017), Bringing Back Our Freshwater Lakes (2017), Invasive Species (207), and Airplanes (How it Works)(2017).]
Roberta Gibson – How to Build an Insect (Millbrook Press 4/6/2021) -
I was one of those kids who brought books home from the library in grocery bags, read them all, then went back the next week for more. As for writing, my first venture into nonfiction was in fourth grade when I wrote a “book” about how to care for guinea pigs. I’m pretty sure no one read it.
Later, I went to graduate school to become an entomologist. Part of science is communicating the results, and therefore I published scientific papers. Over the years, however, I’ve moved to writing for a general audience and children. Writing about science and nature -- particularly insects – is my wheelhouse.
[Debut children's author.]
Rachel Sarah - Girl Warriors: How 25 Young Activists Are Saving the Earth (Chicago Review Press 4/6/21) – I'm a journalist in the San Francisco Bay Area who writes to inspire change. As the mother of two daughters, I also write to amplify the voices of girls and women. I became a reporter when I was 21 and moved to the Czech Republic to write for The Prague Post. My work has been published in places like The Washington Post, POPSUGAR, The New York Times, and Yahoo.
Most recently, I’ve been interviewing youth climate activists from around the world in live Instagram chats in a “take over” at Ocean Heroes, which I've been moderating from a tiny shed in my backyard where I also write and research.
I love what climate scientist Kate Marvel says: "We need courage, not hope," to rise up to the climate crisis. I hope my writing will encourage more young women to explore the world of STEAM.
[Debut children’s author.]
Christine Van Zandt – A Brief History of Underpants (Quarto Kids/becker&mayer! kids 6/1/2021) - Hello, fabulous reader! I’ve been writing as far back as I can remember, beginning with diaries and journals, always keeping a notebook nearby.
Because of the pandemic, we’ve had at-home school for over a year so I write, research, and work with Zoom-school in the background, between cries of “I need my cord!” and “Can you bring me a snack?”
I like how kids today have access to interesting STEAM books and I love making learning entertaining. My (then) third-grader suggested I write about underpants. Yes!—education with humor! Once I started digging up underwear facts, I got hooked reading about things like frozen 5,300-year-old underwear, the interesting materials textiles that have covered our buns, and how inventions propelled underwear and clothing production forward.
[Debut children’s author. *Publication TBD - pushed back after the interview was posted*]
Rajani LaRocca - Bracelets for Bina’s Brothers (Charlesbridge 4/20/21) – Hi! I’m a physician and author in the Boston area. I write middle grade and picture books. I write a mix of fiction and nonfiction, prose and poetry.
I’ve always loved books, but I took a long hiatus from creative writing when I went to medical school and residency. I picked it back up again about nine years ago when I started taking online and then in-person classes and forming critique groups with fellow writers. As a working mom, I’ve learned to write in my living room, my bedroom, my kitchen, waiting for kids at piano lessons, in school parking lots, and dictating ideas on my phone in the car! As a doctor, STEM topics—especially science—are very dear to my heart.
[Author of 14 books, including Red, White, and Whole (2021), Seven Golden Rings: A Tale Of Music And Math (2020), Midsummer’s Mayhem (2019) , and ten more upcoming books between 2021 and 2023.]
Jennifer Swanson - Outdoor School: Rock, Fossil, & Shell Hunting (Odd Dot Press 4/27/21) – I have been writing almost all of my life. I started creating books when I was in kindergarten. Throughout my life, I’ve kept journals. Mostly observations of things that have happened to me in my life and things I’ve found interesting. I started writing professionally about 12 years ago.
I typically write on my laptop or my desktop in my office. I feel most at home writing and researching there as that is where I’ve written almost all of my books. My writing day consists of getting up, having breakfast, and being in my office by around 8:30am. I work pretty much all day consistently until 5pm. I may stop to exercise or walk my dogs, but that is how I work for most of the week.
My favorite type of books to write are the ones about engineering and technology. I love learning! I have loved science my whole life. After all, I started a science club in my garage when I was 7 years old. My goal when I’m writing is to find a unique and exciting way to present my topic. Something that is natural, but unusual, like my book Save the Crash-test Dummies, which is the story of car safety engineering told through the lens of a crash-test dummy.
[Author of 45 books, including - Everything You Need to Ace Chemistry in One Big Fat Notebook (2020), Beastly Bionics: Rad Robots, Brilliant Biomimicry, and Incredible Inventions Inspired by Nature (6/2020), Spies, Lies, and Disguise: The Daring Tricks and Deeds That Won World War II (2019), Save the Crash Test Dummies! (2019), Absolute Expert: Dolphins (2018), Pearl Harbor (American Girl: Real Stories From My Time) (2018), Building With Poop (Power of Poop) (2018), Astronaut Aquanaut (2018), Environmental Activist Wangari Maathai (2018),and Dr. E’s Super Stellar Solar System: Massive Mountains, Supersize Storms, Alien Atmospheres, and Other Out-of-This-World Space Science (2018).]
Melissa Stewart – Summer Time Sleepers (Charlesbridge 4/27/21) – Many writers know what they want to do from a very young age, but I never considered writing as a career option until a college professor suggested it. Up until then, I didn’t even know writing was a job. No one I knew was a writer, and my school didn’t host author visits. I’ll always be very grateful to that professor for seeing a talent in me and letting me know.
I do most of my writing in a spare bedroom in my house. My husband leaves for work at 5:45 a.m., so that’s when I start to write. When I get stuck, I stop to take a shower. Something about the steam and running water frees my mind, and I usually solve the problem. After lunch, I switch my focus to researching, planning school visits, and taking care of business tasks. I stop working at 4:30 p.m., so I can start making dinner.
Rachel Carson once said, “Science gives me something to write about,” and I couldn’t agree more. I enjoy writing at a variety of different levels, from board books to books for adults, but grade 3 is really my sweet spot.
[Author of more than 181 books, including Ick! Delightfully Disgusting Animal Dinners, Dwellings, and Defenses (2020), Seashells: More than a Home (2019), A Place for Turtles, Second Edition (2019), Pipsqueaks, Slowpokes, and Stinkers: Celebrating Animal Underdogs (2018), Can an Aardvark Bark? (2018),A Seed Is the Start (2017), Wolverines, National Geographic Readers (2017), Droughts, Let’s Read and Find Out Science (2017), Pinocchio Rex and Other Tyrannosaurs, Let’s Read and Find Out Science (2017), Predator Face-Off (2017), Feathers: Not Just for Flying (2014), and No Monkeys, No Chocolate (2013).]
Mary Kay Carson - Outdoor School: Animal Watching: The Definitive Interactive Nature Guide (Odd Dot Press 4/27/21) – I’ve been a working writer for nearly (gasp!) 30 years. I started out working on a classroom science magazine for upper elementary kids at Scholastic in NYC, so I’ve always written about STEM topics. The happiest book projects for me are often those that are collaborative. Working closely with editors to iron out a book or series’ structure or format; tagging along with scientists as they search for bats or check geyser temperatures; or even going back and forth with a photographer or illustrator to get an image right all count. Writing can be a lonely business. The weight of making every choice and decision, being responsible for every word and fact, all while having to be an irritating cheerleader so someone will publish the thing can be crushing at times. It’s nice to feel you’re not in it alone.
[Author of 13 book, including, Wildlife Ranger Action Guide: Track, Spot & Provide Healthy Habitat for Creatures Close to Home (2020), The Tornado Scientist (Scientists in the Field Series)(2019), Universe: From the Big Bang to Deep Space (Inside Outer Space)(2019), Alexander Graham Bell for Kids: His Life and Inventions, with 21 Activities (For Kids series)(2018), Mission to Pluto: The First Visit to an Ice Dwarf and the Kuiper Belt (Scientists in the Field Series) (2017), Life on Mars (Scholastic Reader, Level 2)(2016), Discovering Mars: The Amazing Story of the Red Planet (2015), Inside Biosphere 2: Earth Science Under Glass (Scientists in the Field Series)(2015), Scholastic Reader Level 2: Magic School Bus: Ocean Adventure (2014),and Beyond the Solar System: Exploring Galaxies, Black Holes, Alien Planets, and More; A History with 21 Activities (For Kids series)(2013).]
What is something no one (or few) knows about you?
Jacquie Sewell - I spent the summer between my junior and senior year of High School as a Youth for Understanding exchange student in Greece. The country is beautiful and filled with history. My host families were warm and loving. My “sister” and I still connect via Facebook. My experience showed me people are people no matter where they live or what language they speak or the color of their skin. It fueled my desire to travel and experience more of the world, and to share those experiences with children through the magic of stories.
Lisa Amstutz - I won the county spelling bee in 8th grade. I was not very happy about this, because I did not like to be in the spotlight!
Roberta Gibson – I have my grandmother’s entomology textbook from 1925. She went to Cornell University and over 50 years later, I went there for graduate school.
Rachel Sarah - When I'm channeling the "A" in STEAM, you might find me playing the alto saxophone. Yes, I'm a former (and proud!) band geek. At the end of 2020, we had a Zoom holiday party, so I got to play "Georgia on My Mind" to about 50 of our friends. It was just before the Georgia election runoffs with Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock, so I was thrilled to send some positive energy their way.
Christine Van Zandt – I have a seemingly bottomless collection of underwear books! Many are fiction picture books—my favorite, A Creepy Pair of Underwear by Aaron Reynolds. But I also have more than 30 reference books with historical underwear facts which I bought because the pandemic had closed down libraries and bookstores. Reputable online reference sites helped, but I needed more.
I wanted to uncover facts from every continent, back to the earliest known undergarments. Often, there was very little underwear-specific information—maybe that’s why they’re called “unmentionables”!
Rajani LaRocca - I have visited forty-nine out of the fifty U.S. states!
Jennifer Swanson - I love sports of all kinds and grew up playing pretty much every kind of sport you can imagine.
Melissa Stewart – Even when I was a child, I wrote about science whenever I had a chance. I wrote my first two reports in sixth grade. One was about air pollution, and the other was about the human heart.
Mary Kay Carson – After getting a biology degree, I spent 2+ years in a rural village without electricity, telephones, or running water in the Dominican Republic where I worked as a fisheries volunteer in the U.S. Peace Corps.
Now that we know a little more about all of you, what inspired each of you to write your book?
Matthew Brenden Wood – The Universe: The Big Bang, Black Holes, and Blue Whales (4/1/21) – "I tried to cram the entire universe into 25,000 words. It takes you from the Big Bang to the end of the universe and all the junk (like us) in between. I think it worked?"
Jacquie Sewell - Whale Fall Cafe (4/1/2021) -I read about the first “discovery” of a natural whale fall back in 2010. The topic fascinated me - I had wanted to be an oceanographer when I was younger. At the time I was working as an elementary school librarian, and I knew kids would love reading about the bizarre and somewhat “gross” creatures that inhabit a whale fall. As I got deeper into the research I discovered my son had taken classes from the scientist who coined the term “whale fall”. So that was encouragement to continue in the face of roadblocks and rejections.
Lisa Amstutz - Mammal Mania: 30 Activities and Observations for Exploring the World of Mammals (4/1/21) – Zoology was one of my favorite classes in college, so when I saw that Chicago Review Press did not have a book on mammals in the Young Naturalist series, I thought it would be fun to write one. Fortunately, my editor agreed! I had a blast researching all the mammals in the book.
Roberta Gibson – How to Build an Insect (4/6/2021) - Over the years I’ve taught tons of insect classes and workshops for children. They are always so excited. I wanted to capture that in a book.
Rachel Sarah - Girl Warriors: How 25 Young Activists Are Saving the Earth (4/6/21) - I shifted the focus of my writing to the climate during the devastating California wildfires of 2018. This decision felt like a matter of survival for all living beings.
It was imperative to me to find climate leaders all over the world, so my interviews took me to calling 25 climate leaders under age 25 from Ireland and Pakistan to Colombia and Uganda. In every country, girls and young women standing up to demand action for their futures.
I appreciate how meteorologist and climate writer Eric Holthaus [https://twitter.com/EricHolthaus], describes Girl Warriors: "With courage, struggle, and triumph, these 25 fearless girls and women aren't just telling their own stories. They're telling the story of a world that was always possible and is now bursting into being. The message in Rachel Sarah's book is clear: You, yes you, have a story worth telling and it is revolutionary."
Christine Van Zandt – A Brief History of Underpants (6/1/2021) - Underwear cracks kids up—Dav Pilkey’s Captain Underpants books are a worldwide success! While I love that series, the nonfiction element interested me. What were ancient undergarments made from, and how do we know this?
When I researched published books along this line, I found there was a need for quick-paced book that would make kids laugh while they learned, full of cheeky facts to even engage reluctant readers.
Rajani LaRocca - Bracelets for Bina’s Brothers (4/20/21) – I wanted to tell a story of sibling love combined with some early math in the form of pattern making. I love the holiday of Raksha Bandhan and how it celebrates the bond between sisters and brothers.
Jennifer Swanson - Outdoor School: Rock, Fossil, & Shell Hunting (4/27/21) – It was a chance to work with a brand new imprint, Odd Dot. They are a fabulous company! And I love that I was able to be a part of this awesome series that promotes kids getting outside and doing things!
Melissa Stewart – Summer Time Sleepers (4/27/21) – Sometimes I like to scan the shelves in the natural history section of my town library and see what grabs my attention. On a hot June day in 2011, I stumbled upon a 250-page tome on hibernation. It contained a single paragraph about an animal behavior I’d never heard of—estivation. And that made me curious.
To find out more, I typed “estivate” into a database of science journals, hoping to pull up papers with any form of the word—estivate, estivation, estivating. The reference sections of those initial papers led me to more resources, and soon I had plenty of material for a book.
As you can see, this book took 10 years from inspiration to publication. Why did I stick with it so long? Because I was personally invested. There was a little piece of my heart at the core, and it fueled my work despite the obstacles and setbacks.
One of the examples in the book is the leopard gecko. And for most of the time I was working on the manuscript, my nephew, Emile, had one of these little lizards as a beloved pet. Every time I talked to him, he asked me how the book was going. How could I possibly let him down?
Mary Kay Carson - Outdoor School: Animal Watching: The Definitive Interactive Nature Guide (4/27/21) – I’m a huge wildlife fan, especially our native wildlife. My husband and I live in the middle of 15 or so acres of urban greenspace and try to provide as much wildlife habitat as we can by removing invasive plants, growing native plants that feed wildlife, providing a water source (pond), and leaving the yard a mess of dead trees, clumps of bushes, debris piles, and other wildlife-friendly areas instead of mowing. A book that encourages young people to connect with wild animals around them wherever they live is an extension of that desire to help wildlife.
So many different to get inspired about a topic. Is there anything special you want your readers to know about your book ?
Text © Jacquie Sewell, 2021. Image © Dan Tavis, 2021.
Jacquie Sewell - Whale Fall Cafe (4/1/2021) - I wrote Whale Fall Cafe to get young readers excited about the oceans and the amazing creatures that inhabit them. I want them to realize that science is exciting and still full of opportunities for new discoveries.
© Lisa J. Amstutz, 2021.
Lisa Amstutz - Mammal Mania: 30 Activities and Observations for Exploring the World of Mammals (4/1/21) –Mammal Mania provides an overview of mammal taxonomy, behaviors, and biology as well as their conservation needs. Each chapter includes three STEAM-related activities that can be used to supplement the text.
Text © Roberta Gibson, 2021. Image © Anne Lambelet, 2021.
Roberta Gibson – How to Build an Insect (4/6/2021) - Anne Lambelet did an incredible job with the illustrations. The text is a quick read aloud, but you could spend hours poring over the illustrations.
Rachel Sarah - Girl Warriors: How 25 Young Activists Are Saving the Earth (4/6/21) – Interviewing and writing about these 25 Girl Warriors has changed me. Writing this book altered me in a deep way. I've become more resilient in this journey. I’m here with everyone who's rising up, raising my voice for your future.
As I say in the dedication of Girl Warriors, the activists in this book are the real storytellers here. I'm so grateful that they trusted me to share their hopes and their struggles. And also, their time.
Text © Christine Van Zandt, 2021. Image © Harry Briggs, 2021.
Christine Van Zandt – A Brief History of Underpants (6/1/2021) - The cover is fun to play with! It has what’s called a Reveal Wheel. Spin it to give the character on the book’s cover—who we’ve named Buttley Breeches—different styles of underwear: boxers, briefs, bloomer, or schenti (the style of loincloth worn by King Tut). Secret fact: by moving the wheel back and forth you can make Buttley look like he’s dancing!
Text © Rajani LaRocca, 2021. Image © Chaaya Prabhati, 2021.
Rajani LaRocca - Bracelets for Bina’s Brothers (4/20/21) – I want readers to know that we use math all the time to solve everyday problems, and that, like Bina, it’s OK to be stumped by a problem and not know how to solve it at first. It’s OK to make mistakes, try to figure out what went wrong, and start again—in both STEM fields and in life in general.
Text © Jennifer Swanson, 2021. Image © John D. Dawson, 2021.
Jennifer Swanson - Outdoor School: Rock, Fossil, & Shell Hunting (4/27/21) – Take it OUTSIDE! This book is meant to be used so bring it with you on your adventures. Use it as a guide to identify all of the rocks, fossils, and shells you find. You can even write in it! Share it with your friends, and maybe have a competition for who can find the most obscure rock, fossil or shell.
Text © Melissa Stewart, 2021. Image © Sarah Brannen, 2021.
Melissa Stewart – Summer Time Sleepers (4/27/21) – This is the third book in which I’ve collaborated with illustrator Sarah S. Brannen, and let me just say she’s a genius. As she was working on the sketches, she realized that a book full of sleeping animals might seem too quiet or static, so she came up with the brilliant idea of adding sketchbook pages that show the animals wide awake, going about their daily activities. As a bonus, this new features provided a place for me to share some more information about them.
Text © Mary Kay Carson, 2021. Image © Emily Dahl, 2021.
Mary Kay Carson - Outdoor School: Animal Watching: The Definitive Interactive Nature Guide (4/27/21) – All the colorful retro-cool pictures in the book come from vintage Golden Guides.
What was the hardest, or most challenging, part of writing, or researching, your book?
Jacquie Sewell - Whale Fall Cafe (4/1/2021) - I love doing the research. I could dig for “treasure” all day long. I also enjoy writing - finding the right words to open doors for young readers. Revision is challenging for me because there is always more to share than the publisher will have room for. My first draft for Whale Fall Cafe was over 3000 words. It could have become a NF chapter book. But my heart belongs first to picture books. So with the help of my critique group I whittled those 3000 words down to 567 (with over 1500 words of back matter). Thank God for Back Matter!
Lisa Amstutz - Mammal Mania: 30 Activities and Observations for Exploring the World of Mammals (4/1/21) – Gathering all the photos for this book was a challenge—mostly fun, but time-consuming!
Roberta Gibson – How to Build an Insect (4/6/2021) - I didn’t have a lot of time to polish the manuscript because I was under an extremely short deadline. But maybe that turned out to my advantage because I also didn’t overwork it.
Rachel Sarah - Girl Warriors: How 25 Young Activists Are Saving the Earth (4/6/21) – I had no idea that when I started writing Girl Warriors, I'd be writing through a pandemic. COVID became part of my research, interviews, and setting as I told the stories of these 25 climate activists around the world. We were all in lockdown together. I felt so much despair and anxiety as I hunkered down with my daughters at home. Yet, just as I was finalizing the last edits, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris won the U.S. elections and brought a new pulse of courage, so I jumped back in to revise my introduction to include our hopeful future.
Christine Van Zandt – A Brief History of Underpants (6/1/2021) - Normally, I just need to allocate writing time around my work responsibilities. However, writing and researching has been much harder during the pandemic with the family sheltering at home and the obligations of online school.
Rajani LaRocca - Bracelets for Bina’s Brothers (4/20/21) – It was challenging at times to incorporate all the math, mistake-making, and retrying while keeping the word count low!
Jennifer Swanson - Outdoor School: Rock, Fossil, & Shell Hunting (4/27/21) – There is A LOT of information packed into this book! It was challenging to be able to fit all of the stuff we wanted in this book, but we did it. It is THE definitive guide on rocks, fossils, and shell hunting for kids.
Melissa Stewart – Summer Time Sleepers (4/27/21) – At first, I struggled with the voice. My early drafts featured a lively, humorous voice. But it just didn’t feel right for a book about inactive animals. I needed to let the topic dictate the voice, so a soft, cozy, lyrical voice was a better fit.
Next, I had to admit that my beginning wasn’t working. After a year of being stuck, I realized that my introduction was buried on page 8. After cutting the first fifty words, I added to and reorganized the animal examples. Then I sent the manuscript to my editor. With her guidance, I tightened the structure, strengthened the flow and pacing, and reworked the back matter. Finally, the text was ready for publication.
Mary Kay Carson - Outdoor School: Animal Watching: The Definitive Interactive Nature Guide (4/27/21) – The breadth of information included in the book’s 425 pages. The book covers all the wildlife vertebrate groups—birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. That means everything from differences between male and female goldfinches in both summer and winter to the variety of mouth shapes of salt water and freshwater fishes. There were a lot of facts to nail down.
Are there any upcoming projects that you are working on now that you can share a tidbit with us?
Jacquie Sewell - My editor expressed interested in seeing a book about a topic related to whale falls so I am knee deep in library books doing my preliminary research. Back to the deep sea for me!
Lisa Amstutz - I have another project under contract but can’t share quite yet…stay tuned!
Roberta Gibson – What creature can
· Hang upside down from a plate of glass holding 100 times its own weight and not fall?
· Thrive in the Sahara Desert at 140° Fahrenheit, without being fried?
· Swim through a pool of deadly ooze that kills any other animal that drops inside?
· Sew, garden, and dig up fossils with no hands?
Is this a new comic book superhero? No, it’s an ant.
Rachel Sarah - I'm overjoyed to be writing another book for my editor Kara Rota at Chicago Review Press. Building onto Girl Warriors, this book for young adult readers (ages 12-17) will be part of the Women of Power Series.
Part narrative nonfiction, part climate science, part environmental activism, and all-parts empowering, I'm currently interviewing 15 climate scientists, academics, researchers, and policy makers from around the world, including women who draft climate policies, lead nonprofits to protect the environment, and run science labs. I'm so inspired!
Christine Van Zandt – I have completed fiction and nonfiction picture book manuscripts. Since my debut picture book was published unagented, I’m seeking representation for my future projects.