The Picture Book Buzz - October 2026 Interview with STEAM Team Books Members
Whether you're here to support the STEAM Team authors, curiosity, or because you love nonfiction books, I hope you read to the end because you'll discover some amazing authors and super spectacular books!
Today I have the pleasure to introduce you to four authors from STEAM Team Books – a group of authors and illustrators who joined together to celebrate and help promote their STEAM books. I hope you enjoy this peek at this delightful book and its fascinating creative.
"STEAM Team Books is a group of authors who have a STEM/STEAM book releasing in 2026. It includes fiction & nonfiction, trade or educational books.” Check out their website for other interviews, activities, and bios.
Tell us a little about yourself. (Where/when do you write or illustrate? How long have you been writing or illustrating? What is your favorite type of book to write or illustrate? What drew you to STEAM books? etc.)
Songju Ma Demicke – Sort, Wash, Roar! (Charlesbridge 10/6/2026) – I grew up in a small town of China and always loved to read and listen to stories. Even though I loved literature, I chose Computer Science as my major when I went to college and worked as a software Engineer. After my twin daughters were born, I became a stay-at-home mom and read to them every day. Reading rekindled my love of literature. I started to write in 2011. Yes, that was a long time ago. Sort, Wash, ROAR!, is my 6th traditionally published book. Picture books and board books are my favorite types of books to write. All my books are Own Voice or STEAM themed. Up-bringing by the Confucius philosophy, nurturing by the Yangtze River, climbing the Great Wall, and working as an Engineer in America -- all of these experiences have shaped me and the stories I tell. I love sharing Chinese culture and my STEAM interest and knowledge with young readers.
[Author of Grace Lee Boggs: Gardens of Hope, illustrated by Lin (2025), Our World: China, illustrated by Jam Dong (2023), Tu Youyou's Discovery: Finding a Cure for Malaria, illustrated by Lin (2021), and Cao Chong Weighs an Elephant, Christina Wald (2017).]
Katrina Tangen – Ramp it Up! (Charlesbridge 10/6/2026) – I’ve always loved to write and found my way to picture books about five years ago. I write all kinds of picture books and particularly love humor. I enjoy writing STEAM fiction and nonfiction because it taps into my analytical side. Research is fun because I learn about so many interesting things!
[Author of Copy That, Copy Cat!: Inventions Inspired by Animals, illustrated by Giulia Orecchia (2023). ]
Callie Dean – Marvelous Mistakes: Accidents That Made History (Beaming Books 10/20/2026) – I live in Shreveport, Louisiana, where I work at LSU Shreveport and play the violin in the Shreveport Symphony Orchestra. I have wanted to become an author since I was a young child, but it wasn't until 2020 that I began writing children's books in earnest. I enjoy writing both fiction and nonfiction books--and I love finding ways to combine elements of both categories! I find myself drawn to little-known, true stories from history, especially about scientific discoveries and creative breakthroughs. I hope that my books spark readers' own curiosity, encourage their creativity, and inspire them to take action.
[Debut author.]
Katy Tanis – So Many Salamanders (Smokie Life 10/20/2026) – I do most of my writing and illustrating at the kitchen table or on the couch. I have a desk, but it is usually covered in bits and pieces of too many unfinished projects. I have always made art, told stories, and loved math and science. I started focusing on children’s books around 2011.
My favorite books to work on are whatever my newest and freshest book baby is. They are always fun at the beginning. Finishing them is another story!
[Author/Illustrator of Love Under the Sea (2026), Love Under the Stars (2024), and Love in the Wild (2021). And the illustrator of The Highly Sensitive Rabbit by Judith Orloff & Jennifer Adams (2025), Guess My Animal!: Endangered Species Charades; A Roaring, Dancing, Wiggling Game for the Whole Family! by Kathleen Yale (2023), Edward and Annie: A Penguin Adventure by Caryn Rivadeneira (2022), Katy Tanis I Am The Jungle by Melissa Hurt (2020), and Animal Olympics by Carron Brown (2020).]
What has been the most interesting or odd experience (you’re willing to share) of your children’s literature career so far?
Songju Ma Demicke – A few years ago, I read one of my books at a local bookstore. One listener was a little girl named Audrey. She was about three years old. Her mother bought my book. When I signed her book, Audrey said, “Mom, the lady is writing on my book!” The mother replied: “She is the author who wrote the book. She is signing her name for you.” “Author?” Audrey looked me and the book carefully, and then said, “Can you take a picture of me with this author?’ That moment has stayed me. I hope with Audrey as well. Maybe the author-signed book will inspire her to be author one day. Books have power!
Katrina Tangen – I’m homebound by chronic illness, so I don’t get to do in-person author events. But my mom is so determined that I don’t miss out that she does them for me! My sister also helps out. It’s definitely a team effort!
Callie Dean – In early August, I had the opportunity to visit the Lerner/Carolrhoda publishing house while I was on vacation. I got to meet the editor of my second book, Carol Hinz, as well as the whole team working behind the scenes on marketing, publicity, sales, etc. By sheer coincidence, the team happened to be in the process of printing unbound copies of my book while I was there. It was my first time to hold my book in my hands!
Thank you for sharing these experiences. Now that we know a little more about all of you, what sparked your interest and caused you to write or illustrate this book?
Songju Ma Demicke – Sort, Wash, Roar! (10/6/2026) – The idea to write a STEAM board book started with great news. My oldest daughter was pregnant with a boy. She and her husband picked Anton as the name for their son. Excited to soon be a grandmother for the first time, I was determined to write a STEAM board book as a welcoming gift for my grandson. When I saw “laundromat” at the top of the Charlesbridge’s STEAM program submission call priority list, I was intrigued to give it a try. Sort, Wash, Roar! was born. I even gave the boy character’s name Anton, just as my grandson. I had so much fun working on it. My grandson Anton loves the book.
Katrina Tangen – Ramp it Up! (10/6/2026) – When I saw Charlesbridge’s call for STEAMWORKS manuscripts, I knew I wanted to write about wheelchair ramps because they combine disability representation and STEAM so well. You get physics since inclined planes are simple machines. And geometry, shapes, angles, and ratios are all part of designing a ramp. Plus, kids love wheels!
Callie Dean – Marvelous Mistakes: Accidents That Made History (10/20/2026) – When my son was five years old, he tended to be a perfectionist. He wanted everything he created to look like the vision in his head and would get upset if he made a mistake. I wanted to show him that everyone makes mistakes, even wildly successful, famous, talented professionals. In fact, mistakes can lead to something wonderful, if we allow ourselves to learn from them and embrace them! I began collecting stories of "marvelous mistakes" made by people in all different fields: scientists, engineers, artists, astronauts, athletes, musicians, and more. Over the course of more than two years, I crafted these stories into the book that would become Marvelous Mistakes.
Katy Tanis – So Many Salamanders (10/20/2026) – I was the illustrator for this book, so the book was already written when I signed on. Luckily, on my way-too-long to-do list, I had wanted to explore the biodiversity of salamanders in the Appalachians. I thought it was fascinating that the Southeastern USA is the center of biodiversity for salamanders. So, this book allowed me to dive in and explore that. Turns out, salamanders are even more fascinating and diverse than I imagined.
I love all the different thing that inspired the premises and art of these books. Is there anything special you want your readers to know about your book?
Text © Songju Ma Demicke, 2026. Image © Sian James, 2026.
Songju Ma Demicke – Sort, Wash, Roar! (10/6/2026) – Math helps us in our everyday life. If not careful, we make mistakes, even as an adult. Once my husband wanted to give me a surprise for my birthday by doing my laundry. When I opened my folded clean clothes, I let out a scream. My new white wool sweater had turned into a small tie dye with blue stripes! He had washed my sweater with one of his new jeans. If he had read a book like Sort, Wash, Roar! as a boy, perhaps my sweater would have avoided that fate.
Text © Katrina Tangen, 2026. Image © Wendy Wen, 2026.
Katrina Tangen – Ramp it Up! (10/6/2026) – Ramp It Up! grew out of my love of LEGO! I wasn’t really into LEGO as a kid—I had some, but I never knew what to build with them. These days, I listen to a lot of audiobooks and like to have something to do with my hands, but I can’t do things like coloring or jigsaw puzzles because of my disabilities. It didn’t seem like I’d be able to do LEGO either, but I tried a small set a few years ago and was quickly hooked! I passed that love of building on to Zoe. Her castle, complete with rooftop pool, was inspired by a LEGO beach house I have. I tested out different ramp building techniques on it to see what Zoe could try!
Text © Callie Dean, 2026. Image © Ana Latese, 2026.
Callie Dean – Marvelous Mistakes: Accidents That Made History (10/20/2026) – I want to give a special shout-out to the illustrator, Ana Latese. Ana did an amazing job of depicting not just the historical figures but also the modern kids who make similar types of mistakes. The first time I saw her illustrations, I was in complete awe of how brilliantly she made those connections. I hope that all readers are able to relate to at least one of the scenes in the book!
Text © Diane Lang, 2026. Image © Katy Tanis, 2026.
Katy Tanis – So Many Salamanders (10/20/2026) – I am excited for kids to see the title page and back end page. The title page includes all the species of salamanders in their larval or baby form (some species are born directly as mini salamanders), and when you turn to the back page, you can see the grown-up salamanders. They also printed a poster of the grown-up Salamanders. https://smokieslife.org/product/poster-salamander-24-x-18/
Great illustrations and fun "behind the scenes" information on your books. What was the hardest, or most challenging, part of writing, illustrating, or researching your book? Was there a bit of your research you didn’t get to include?
Songju Ma Demicke – Sort, Wash, Roar! (10/6/2026) – I wrote this book initially with a stuffed animal dinosaur in mind as they always look so cute on a book cover. When we worked on the revision, my editor suggested using a dinosaur hoodie instead. To convince my editor to keep the stuffed dinosaur, I researched and washed assorted stuffed animals using our washing machine. The stuffed animals came out okay, but my editor was still not convinced and thought it is better to avoid any issues. I eventually let the stuffed dinosaur idea go. In the end, I think my editor was wise on that.
Katrina Tangen – Ramp it Up! (10/6/2026) – The biggest revision challenge was that Charlesbridge and their partner group wanted all of the STEAMWORKS books to be set in the real world. So, it needed to be clear that Car and Miles are toys Zoe is playing with, rather than fantasy talking toy characters. (Although, secretly, I still believe they’re alive!) We put the toys’ dialogue in speech bubbles to set it apart and made sure to show Zoe moving them. In the original version, Miles tricked Zoe at the climax. But that couldn’t work if Zoe was the one making him talk and move! So, I had to come up with a whole new climax, which was tricky.
Callie Dean – Marvelous Mistakes: Accidents That Made History (10/20/2026) – I set specific criteria for the mistakes that I wanted to feature in this book. First, the mistakes had to be historically accurate; I quickly found out that there are a lot of urban legends about historical mistakes that didn't hold up when I actually delved into the research. Second, the mistakes couldn't just be "happy accidents." In other words, the person who made the mistake had to have either done something "wrong" or failed to do something "right" in order for the mistake to count. Third, the mistake had to be connected to a specific historical figure (or two). Finally, I did not want to feature any mistakes that caused harm to anyone.
I started out doing internet research and came across many lists about "mistakes that turned out great," but these lists didn't always meet my strict criteria! Instead, I often had to work backwards and research historical figures' lives broadly in order to uncover an important mistake they made. But over time, I amassed a long list of historical mistakes. One of my favorites that didn't end up making it into the book: Ada Lovelace is widely known for writing the first computer program in 1843, long before computers were even invented. However, her first program contained a mistake---the first computer bug!
Katy Tanis – So Many Salamanders (10/20/2026) – There have been many recent splits and reclassifications of species in the region. Many of these happened between when the book was written and when I illustrated it, so Diane Lang and I had a lot of back-and-forth to make sure we included the most up-to-date information on the species in the region.
On top of these reclassifications, many salamanders are very elusive, so there was no visual reference for some of the larval forms for a few of the species. I had to make my best guess as to what they would look like based on closely related species and/or written descriptions.
I also had a ‘hell’ of a time trying to understand the anatomy of the hellbender. The scientific drawings were all over the place; they look different from different angles and are usually partially hidden under rocks! I think/hope I finally got them figured out!
I appreciate you all sharing how your books each presented their own unique challenges. It's interesting to discover that Ada Lovelace also created the first 'computer bug'! Are there any upcoming projects that you are working on now that you can share a tidbit with us?
Songju Ma Demicke – I’m working on quite a few projects, all in different stages, both fiction and nonfiction. All are related to Chinese culture or STEAM themed. Hope they all will become books one day.
Katrina Tangen – I’m working on a book celebrating female leadership in animals and human girls. Social behavior is tricky to research, but fascinating! Did you know that naked mole-rats keep track of their queen’s health by eating her poop?
Callie Dean – Yes! My second picture book, Unstoppable Song: Olivier Messiaen, World War II, and the Quartet for the End of Time, will launch on April 6, 2027. It is a nonfiction picture book that tells the incredible true story of Olivier Messiaen, a composer who was imprisoned in a Nazi prisoner-of-war camp, where he created and premiered his most famous work, The Quartet for the End of Time.
Katy Tanis – I am about to start two new board books with Chronicle Books: Wild Moms and Wild Dads.
I have the opportunity to try a new art style for these books, which is both exciting and intimidating!
These all sound so intriguing. Wish you all the best of luck with your projects and books. Last question, who is your STEAM hero or heroine, living or dead (scientist, naturalist, author, teacher, etc.)? Why?
Songju Ma Demicke – Tu Youyou, a Chinese pharmaceutical chemist, is my STEAM heroine. She used her background with traditional Chinese medicine to develop a treatment for malaria helping to save millions of lives. Tu Youyou became the first and only Chinese woman to win a Nobel Prize of any kind. Artemisinin, the medicine she discovered, is still one of the first lines of treatment for malaria in the world today. She taught us to dream big, work hard, and you can make a difference in this world. Tu Youyou is now 95 years old, retired and lives in Beijing. I wrote a picture book about her, Tu Youyou’s Discovery: Finding A Cure For Malaria.
Katrina Tangen – I’m working on a biography of Florence Nightingale, who was remarkable in so many ways. She’s best known for her war nursing, but she also did amazing things in public health after the war, while severely chronically ill.
Callie Dean – I'm mildly obsessed with the astronomer Edmund Halley, who is best known for charting the orbit of Halley's comet. But that was just one of his many accomplishments! He organized one of the first recorded citizen science projects in conjunction with the 1715 solar eclipse and became the first to plot the path of totality. He made the first modern weather chart, mapped the stars in the Southern Hemisphere for oceanic explorers, and came up with a new way to calculate life expectancy. As someone who works with data in my day job, I admire how Edmund Hallay was able to find patterns in the natural world and communicate them in innovative ways.
Katy Tanis – Dian Fossey, for her fearless conservation work with mountain gorillas.
These are awesome STEAM hero/heroines! NOW, let me take a moment to introduce you to these amazing STEAM books!
Sort, Wash, Roar! by Songju Ma Demicke, illustrated by Sian James (Charlesbridge 10/6/2026) – This colorful, fun board book transports the younger readers to a laundromat where Anton and his sister excitedly help their Aunt sort clothes by color (light, dark, & colorful), experience the sounds of coins, whooshing water, rumbling dryers, and their galoshes on the tile floor, then gather and stack the clothes by person. It's a wonderful introduction to early math skills of sorting and categorizing. The backmatter expands this with questions and examples involving toys, clothes and grocery shelves familiar to most toddlers. And additional resources can be found at https://www.steamworksbooks.com/pages/steamworksbooks.
Synopsis - Join this brother and sister duo in an exploration of sorting and classification, because STEAM is everywhere and for everyone!
Part of STEAMWORKS, a series of fiction board books for ages 0-3 that relate science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) to kids’ everyday lives.
Our narrator and her twin brother, Anton, love to help Auntie Kate with laundry at the laundromat. They start by sorting the laundry into piles of lights and darks. But what about items that are multicolored, like the kids’ hooded unicorn and dinosaur towels? Those get their own machine!
Extend the learning beyond the story with expertly crafted back matter, including additional information about sorting and classification and fun STEAM activities.
Ramp it Up! by Katrina Tangen, illustrated by Wendy Wen (Charlesbridge 10/6/2026) – Having finished a castle-like block house, with a pool on the roof, it's time for her toy's pool party. Except Zoe forgot to build access to the roof and worst yet, her staircase excludes Car and Miles (her toy figurine in a wheelchair). Being herself in a wheelchair, Zoe can't believe she forgot a ramp. Modeling inquiry, hypothesis, experiment, and observation, Zoe tries a couple of times to build a ramp the both Car and Miles can safely use. An engaging introduction to ramp construction, the back matter further explores the math and physics of ramps, as well as their use in Rube Goldberg machines.
Synopsis - Join Zoe in an exploration of angles and shapes, because STEAM is everywhere and for everyone!
Part of STEAMWORKS, a series of fiction picture books for ages 4-7 that relate science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) to kids’ everyday lives.
Time to party! Zoe is planning a pool party on the roof of her newly constructed toy house. There is just one problem—some of her toys use wheels to get around, and there is no accessible way to the pool! Zoe knows how that feels, so she's determined to figure out a safe solution for everyone to have fun. After some trial & error and a trip outside to look at her own ramp for inspiration, Zoe and the toys are ready to ramp up the fun!
Extend the learning beyond the story with expertly crafted back matter, including additional information about simple machines and fun STEAM activities.
Marvelous Mistakes: Accidents That Made History by Callie Dean, illustrated by Ana Latese (Beaming Books 10/20/2026) – Using an inventive structure of paired spreads - combining a rhyming couplet on a spread featuring kids and the mistakes they could make, with a following spread containing a mini biographical, narrative note about a famous person who made a similar mistake and created, discovered, or succeeded in a remarkable way - this picture sets out to demonstrate that forgetting the words of a song (like Ella Fitzgerald), being a bit messy (like Alexander Fleming), or initially failing at an invention (like Soichiro Honda) "just might make history." An author's note encourages readers to accept that we all make mistakes and bravely try new things even if there's a risk of making a mistake because the mistakes give us an opportunity to grow and perhaps a chance to create something wonderful.
Synopsis - "Perhaps you will find, in the messes you make, a masterpiece hiding behind each mistake!"
Everybody makes mistakes. Some mistakes go down in history . . . for all kinds of reasons.
This picture book takes readers on a playful, rhyming journey through eight famous mistakes made by historical figures. Some mistakes led to discoveries or new inventions. Others forced their makers down new, more successful paths. But every mistake highlighted in this book led to something good.
From discoveries born of accidents to careers reshaped by setbacks, these stories show that success isn't always a straight line--and that even the greatest achievers mess up sometimes.
Marvelous Mistakes explores both the creative and scientific process, showing that success is not always linear and that even famous people mess up sometimes. Teaching history while encouraging resilience and a growth mindset, Marvelous Mistakes makes a great read-aloud for classrooms, libraries, and families.
So Many Salamanders by Diane Lang, illustrated by Katy Tanis (Smokie Life 10/20/2026) – Stunning illustrations highlighting the various habitats of the 32 colorful and fascinating salamanders which live in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park accompany a rhyming poem exploring their names, characteristics (life-cycle and regeneration), and habitats. Introducing kids to the amazing diversity of sizes and colors, and the need to respect and protect them. Backmatter, with a combination of illustrations and photographs, offers more in depth information on salamanders and even sneaks in a surprise guest. It's an engaging nonfiction on these remarkable animals.
Synopsis - A full-color children's picture book with educational information celebrating the abundance of salamanders in the Southern Appalachian region.
This picture book and poem (350 words) highlight salamanders as a group and specifically name all the salamanders that can be found in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (32 at last count)—most are also found in the surrounding region. From the monstrous hellbender to the tiny Pygmy salamander, the temperate rainforest provides an incredible habitat for herpetological wonders. Author Diane Lang brings her knowledge of animals to life alongside illustrations by Katy Tanis. A must-read for young readers who are interested in salamanders, snakes, lizards, and other amphibians.
Though she wasn't able to participate, I want to be sure to also mention Kelly Rice Schmitt's October picture book release:
I Fly: An Airplane's Fantastic Flight by Kelly Rice Schmitt, illustrated by Jam Dong (Millbrook Press 10/6/26) - Written from the standpoint of a plane's experience of its preparation, loading, take-off, flight around a storm, and landing, this book will give kids a fun perspective on the interior of a plane from the cool cut-away look at the interior of a plane to the detailed interior description in the back matter. Lyrical text, with lots of internal rhyme and onomatopoeia, and a fun challenge at the end make this a fun read-aloud and a perfect book for a kid's first flight. While lots of additional back matter explaining how a plane flies, facts on planes and their cargo holds, and aviation jobs will appeal to kids (and adults) who love planes.
Synopsis - Sleek, regal, gravity-defying, I fly the open skies.
Every day, tens of thousands of airplanes crisscross the globe, delivering people and cargo of all sorts—from mail to medicine to dinosaur fossils—exactly where they need to go. Join one long-haul commercial airplane as it prepares for takeoff and follow the flight all the way to a safe landing at the destination.
Mechanics mend parts, pilots check the cockpit, dispatchers make a flight plan, and flight attendants tend to passengers in the course of this important journey. Along its journey, the plane encounters course corrections, weather challenges, and a sky full of other aircraft—but it flies through, delivering its passengers exactly where they want to be. From the creators of I Ship, I Fuel, and I Truck comes an adventure that will send readers' imaginations soaring!
Thank you all for giving us a little peek into yourselves and your new books. Wishing you all enormous success with your upcoming projects.
Songju Ma Demicke – Sort, Wash, Roar! (Charlesbridge 10/6/2026) –
Website: https://songjumadaemicke.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/songju.daemicke
X(Twitter): https://x.com/SongjuDaemicke
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/songjudaemicke/
Katrina Tangen – Ramp it Up! (Charlesbridge 10/6/2026) –
Website: https://katrinatangen.com/
Linktree: https://linktr.ee/katrinatangen
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katrinatangen/
Callie Dean – Marvelous Mistakes: Accidents That Made History (Beaming Books 10/20/2026) –
Website: https://www.calliebdean.com/
X(Twitter): https://x.com/CallieBDean
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calliebdean/
Katy Tanis – So Many Salamanders (Smokie Life 10/20/2026) –
Website: https://www.daughterearth.com/
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/daughter_earth/
Kelly Rice Schmitt – I Fly: An Airplane’s Fantastic Flight (Lerner/Millbrook Press 10/6/2026) –
Website: https://www.kellyriceschmitt.com/
LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/krschmittwrites
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/krschmittwrites
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