My Summer Reading is for the Birds!

 Birds abound all around us. So this summer my sit-under-a-shady-tree reading includes a collection of books about birds. They are equally suitable for reading beneath a beach umbrella.

National Geographic Kids bird guide of North America 

There’s always room to tuck a field guide (and even a pair of binoculars) into your beach tote or backpack. The NGK field guides are kid-friendly and filled with more than bird IDs. Check out this review by the Celebrate Picture Books team. Of course, you can always leave the field guide at home and load the Merlin app to your phone.

Backpack Explorer: Bird Watch, by Editors of Storey Publishing 

This book leads kids through the basics of birding – from how to identify common birds to learning about migration, where birds live, and even their songs. There are lots of hands-on activities as well as interactive mini-field guides for such things as eggs, bird tracks, and what sorts of nests birds build. And there’s a birding log where kids can record their bird sightings, and stickers for completing activities. Pairs well with binoculars, a granola bar, and water bottle.

On Gull Beach, by Jane Yolen

What’s a beach without gulls? If you’re headed to the ocean, or a lake, make sure you take this for a read-along. Check out my review here.

Odd Birds: Meet Nature's Weirdest Flock (Board book), by Laura Gehl 

This board book just hit bookshelves last month and is a fun way to introduce littles to some unusual birds. 

Eight birds are featured: the frigatebird, with a bright red throat pouch; the blue-footed booby, with feet as advertised; the shoebill stork, ostrich, a very stinky hoatzin, and oilbird; the California condor – the largest flying birds in North America; and the burrowing owl, possibly the cutest. Gentle rhymes introduce the birds, and photos with more information are included at the back.

Chickenology : the ultimate encyclopedia, by Barbara SandriDepending on where you live, chickens may well be part of the local bird fauna. This book is aimed at the 7-and-up crowd, and is fun to browse. Who knew chickens are so cool? Check out this review by fellow author, Jilanne Hoffmann

So You Want to Be an Owl, by Jane Porter 

If you want to be an owl, you have to go to Owl School. That’s where you learn everything you need to know about hunting, seeing in the dark, and flight. No wings? A shame… but you can practice hooting, toe swivels, and being alert. A fun way to learn more about owls.

Bird Show, by Susan Stockdale

Imagine if birds held a fashion show! This book is the next-best thing. Check out my review here.

A Peek at Beaks: Tools Birds Use, by Sara Levine

Wings are nice to have, but beaks can’t be beat. That’s because beaks are built-in tools that can help comb your feathers, scoop up food, and even show how you feel – if you’re a bird. Check out my review here. 

How to find a bird, by Jennifer Ward

If you’re going to watch birds, you need to find them. And Jennifer Ward shares all the secrets. Check out this review by fellow author, Carol Baldwin

Birds don’t build blanket forts or sand castles. They build nests. Here are two fun-to-read books about building bird nests.

The Nest That Wren Built, by Randi Sonenshine - check out my review here

This is the nest that Robin built : with a little help from her friends, by Denise Fleming

Check out this review by fellow book-lover, Joanna Marple

Lovebird Lou, by Tammi Sauer

There are tons of stories about birds. Here’s one published just a few months ago. I love it because my husband’s name is Lou. You’ll love it because it’s a sweet story about family and finding yourself. Check out this review by friend and fellow STEM Tuesday blogger, Maria Marshall

Summer Fun: ESCAPE TO PLAY: Becky Gehrisch and Independent Publishing by Kathy Halsey

Book Review

Summer time! Wouldn't you like to be with these adorable pups and escape and play? Doesn’t that bubble bath look perfect on a hot summer’s day? Escape to Play is a summer treat that combines three mischievous dogs who create loads of unsupervised fun while the farmer is hard at work. 

Author- illustrator Becky Gehrisch ’s charming art and bouncy rhyme combine with an “Easter egg” in the character Norman, a mouse. Add the surprise elements of classic paintings such as Van Gogh’s sunflowers and  Munch’s The Scream, and you have an engaging, interactive read. This picture book has a great “re-readability” factor, too. I give this one "four paws up."

Craft Chat with Becky and Kathy

 Kathy:  How did ESCAPE TO PLAY become the book it is now? Did you at one time think of legacy publishing as opposed to independent publishing? 

Becky: Escape to Play was a fifteen-year process—your writing audience might know how that goes! It can sometimes take a while to see an idea to fruition. I spent years writing and illustrating while I worked at home raising kids. In that time, I joined SCBWI and studied the art of picture book making and storytelling. I am glad that I took the time to research so that my story and book was as polished as possible.

After graduating from the Ohio State University with a degree in art, I was burned out. Escape to Play came about organically. I had started with a painting of my dogs in a bubbly bathtub. This painting was the first painting in a year after graduation where I decided to have fun and make art for myself. Each page was a 40-hour painting that followed the dogs’ day on the farm while the farmer left for the day. If you look closely, the clocks on the wall have the correct time of day!

Originally, I had submitted Escape to Play to over 40 publishing houses. During this time, a different publishing house approached me to illustrate for them, but I looked at the contract and decided I wanted to have complete control over my work. More importantly, I wanted to retain full intellectual rights over my creations. Because of this, I stopped my submission process. I slowly began planning and eventually started my own publishing company, Bookling Media. 

Kathy:  What’s the best thing about being the publisher, art director, author/illustrator of your book? What’s the hardest part? 

Becky: Bookling Media was designed to be an independent publishing company so I am thankfully not wearing all the hats that a self-published author might wear. I hired an art director/typographer, editor, and used off-set printing (as opposed to print on demand). I do not have all the skills as an individual to produce a high-quality book on my own. I created the publishing company not to do things myself, but to control the publication of my book and give others the same opportunity to keep the full rights to their books.

Having two businesses, Bookling Media (publishing company) and Gehrisch Arts (artist and author company) has been challenging. When I am ready to take on author-illustrators through Bookling, the process will be straight-forward: They are the author-illustrator, and I am the publisher. The hardest part currently is knowing when I am publisher and when I am the artist because the lines get blurred. Two sets of accounting, two sets of inventories, two of everything to keep separate. Now that I’ve done it once, these details have fallen into place for future book productions. 

Can you name these classic paintings? They're in the book!

Kathy: I love the added book elements you created: back matter, the art that kids discover, and Norman, the mouse. All add interactivity to the book. How did they come about?

Becky: Thank you! I am thrilled that I took the time to add these elements. The educational addition is a wonderful way share my love of art history. Fun fact: I almost had an art history minor! Having the backmatter section explain art styles in a simple but not in a patronizing way, was important to me. I feel that kids can handle big concepts as well as detailed illustrations. I love details, as evident in my illustrations! Having a reason for the reader to go back and absorb the details as they search for the artwork on the walls has been very rewarding for me.

Norman came about for the similar reasons as the real-life artwork. The inspiration for him came from books I read as a kid where you could find something again and again throughout the book. However, instead of just Norman being on each page, I wanted the reader to know to find him. On the title page, Norman invites the reader to find him.

Kathy:  What’s your biggest takeaway you’d like to share with those who may want to start their own publishing company?

Becky: Great question! It is important to decide if you want to self-publish or start an independent publishing company. Starting an Independent publishing company has meant that I have a team of long-time industry professionals working together to produce a book. The intention of Bookling Media has always been to publish other author-illustrator’s work. If you want to start a business, it requires investment and an entrepreneurial spirit.

Kathy:  Tell us about your upcoming events and what you’ve learned re: author visits.

Becky: I will be at several summer author-events around Ohio from libraries to bookstores to teaching at the Thurber House! The author visits I’ve done this spring have taught me to continue to have fun with the kids. They have great questions and love interacting with my Norman puppet. In preparation for my visit, kids get to use art to color images from the Escape to Play Coloring Book. This has been a great asset to author visits.

Something for author/illustrators to consider is to have a good visual presentation. I include my childhood artwork, original drafts of the story, and art process videos. The kids realize that art can sometimes take a while to make but just like a puzzle, the challenge is rewarding! At the end of the day, encouraging students to enjoy art and reading is what it is all about for me!

Folks can see my upcoming events here.

Kathy: What are you working on now?

Becky: In my author-illustrator role, I am working on lesson plans for teaching art and writing classes this summer. I have several picture book ideas, but they are on hold as I do book events and build up Bookling Media. In my Bookling Media role, I am working on marketing and distribution for Escape to Play and preparing to open submissions for author-illustrators to submit this fall.

Becky’s Bio:

Becky Gehrisch is the founder and Executive Director of Bookling Media, an independent press redefining the kidlit publishing industry, book by book! Bookling Media focuses on picture books created by author-illustrators. Becky has an art degree from The Ohio State University. She has served as the Illustrator Coordinator for the Central and Southern Ohio SCBWI chapter. Since Bookling Media’s start in 2020, Becky has built and led the team through the publication of their premiere title and is now focusing on maturing the company’s supply chain and distribution capabilities.

 

Becky's social media handles and website:

 

@Booklingmedia (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter)

@GehrischArts (FB, Instagram, Twitter)

www.booklingmedia.com/books

www.gehrisch-arts.com/author

Summertime Reading List

By Suzy Leopold

Take a break from the summer heat and discover seven books to add to your summertime reading list.

Someday Is Today 22 Simple, Actionable Ways to Propel Your Creative Life

Written by Matthew Dicks

New World Library, 2022

Stop dreaming. Stop procrastinating. Stop hoping for someday. 

Creative individuals will find this book thought-provoking. 

Simple, practical strategies are shared to help make your dreams come true. Inspiring and amusing, the author shares a plan of action. 

“Someday Is Today will give you every tool to get started and finish that _______ (fill in the blank). 

What are you waiting for? Start today to realize your creative dreams.

Born Hungry Julia Child Becomes “the French Chef”

Written by Alex Prud’homme

Illustrated by Saran Green

Calkins Creek, 2022

Julia Child’s grandnephew is the author of this biography picture book. One of America’s most celebrated chefs, Julia believed every meal should be special and encouraged everyone to enjoy their meal. 

She made cooking fun.  

The back matter includes an author’s note, books Julia wrote, TV shows she starred in, and a recipe for Oeufs Brouillés-Scrambled Eggs. 

“Bon appétit”

 

The Gardener of Alcatraz: A True Story

Written by Emma Bland Smith

Illustrated by Jenn Ely

Charlesbridge, 2022

The opening lines are sure to make the reader want to turn the page: “The boat chugged out of San Francisco and into the bay. Sound nice? It wasn’t. This was no pleasure outing, let me tell you. Gulls squawked. A foghorn moaned. And Elliott Michener, prisoner #AZ-578, stared into the fierce wind. Ahead loomed an island topped with a concrete fortress, watchtowers, and barbed wire.”

The back matter includes a timeline, additional facts and information, an author’s note, and a selected bibliography.

  

The Woman Who Split the Atom: A True Story

Written by Marissa Moss

Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2022

Lise Meitner was born in 1878 in Austria. In 1906 Meitner earned a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Vienna. 

This forty-chapter middle-grade book shares the many challenges Meitner encountered during her lifetime. She experienced discrimination and racism. She was stripped of her position as a professor and her citizenship--all rights under the Nuremberg Laws enacted against Jews. 

The award-winning book includes graphic drawings by the author, Marissa Moss. The well-researched novel shares a timeline, a glossary, profiles of scientists, and more.  

All from a Walnut

Written by Ammi-Joan Paquette

Illustrated by Felicita Sala

Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2022

The opening line is sure to entice the reader with curiosity: “One chilly morning when Emilia woke, there was a nut on her nightstand.” 

Turn the page to read a tender story that Grandpa shares with Emilia. The story behind the walnut includes Grandpa’s journey across the ocean with a walnut in his pocket.

Whirl!

Written by Deborah Kerbel

Illustrated by Josée Bisaillon

Owlkids Books, 2022

Follow another journey. This time it is with a maple seed, also known as a whirligig, a helicopter, or even a maple key in this wordless picture book. 

This delightful wordless picture book shares the wonder of nature as readers are encouraged to observe, explore, and discover. Maple seed facts are included in the back matter to support the STEAM curriculum.

Celia Planted a Garden: The Story of Celia Thaxter and Her Island Garden

Written by Phyllis Root and Gary D. Schmidt

Illustrated by Melissa Sweet

Candlewick Press, 2022

In 1835, Celia Laighton was born in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. At four years old, the Laighton family moved to White Island. Celia's father is the keeper of a lighthouse on the desolate island located off the coast of Maine.

Celia adored the sea, the rocks, the birds, and the many colors of the island. She became a gardener, a writer, and a painter. Celia’s flower gardens were as pretty as her poems.

Pour yourself a tall glass of iced tea or lemonade and enjoy this short stack of seven books. 

Time to play Summertime Bingo in the summertime breeze. Can you cover a row of four books or five books? I challenge you to read nineteen books this summer. Cover every square of the Bingo card to win at "Blackout Bingo".

May you enjoy reading these seven summertime books as you dig deep to acquire new knowledge and information. 

Explore and discover the picture book elements in these books: unique themes, similes, strong voices, beautiful imagery, and fun onomatopoeia. Writers may find a mentor text or two to support a writing project.

Several of these titles are sure to delight readers of all ages. Help kids to avoid the Summer Slide by sharing as read-alouds during story time. 

Summertime is for reading. It's the kind of reading where you don't want to book down as you get swept away for hours. 

THE MUSIC I SEE: Covid-Related Poetic Perceptions Carol Coven Grannick

I've always loved the natural world, and this intensified during the last two years of Covid. A much greater percentage of my poetry was created in response to visual stimulation—anything that caught my eye and my emotions with surprise, delight, or awe.

And most of the visuals that I responded to were saturated with what felt like music and its BFF, dance. It seemed as if my brain locked on particular sights that felt lyrical, rhythmic, powerful in a way that begged for poetry. Some of that poetry is written, and some waits to be written from the photographs I captured. But all of it was music to me.

As I tried to find a way to describe my experience for this post, I received a guest column from Alex Wharton, "About Poetry" via Liz Brownlee's Poetry Summit blog. Alex put into words what I was having trouble describing...that being a poet, writing poetry is about "how we observe the living, the everyday—how much of it we absorb, let in. And tell again, again and again—until it's something that satisfies our soul."

And we each observe and absorb differently, with overlap of course, as our magnificent brains process information growing from our passions, our past, our emotions, and so, so much more. 

My intensified vision of so many things in the world feeling like music and dance continues to provide immense pleasure. I'll share some samples, below (all photographs are mine):

A twirling dancer on the pond...

A dancer en pointe...

 

A chorus of prairie grass singing in the wind...

A trio of dancers, arms curved to the music...

The corps de ballet...

A conductor and chamber group...

A dancer performing Alvin Ailey's Cry...

 

I never puzzled about this intensified experience of how I see, absorb, give meaning to, and try to capture in poetry. I love it. It's familiar and yet full of surprises and delight. Personification increasingly found its way into my poetry, giving me an even more intimate relationship with those objects that touched me deeply and through poetry, could speak to me of imagined experience. Some sights I've seen were so impactful emotionally that I have not yet found the words.

I did briefly puzzle about why this particular tendency to see objects in this way had intensified, and an answer came quickly that makes all the sense in the world to me. We 'default' to the things that comfort us in hard times. These experiences bring surprise, delight, even awe in otherwise difficult times. They have brought these things, as well as fun and laughter, into my poetry, balancing to some extent the emotional impact of other realities in our world that matter deeply.

I've had more time during the pandemic to enjoy other poets' work, too, especially on Poetry Friday, where I find a community of poets who have overlapping and different ways they process and experience what they see, live, and feel.

Alex Wharton writes, "Poetry is such a dynamic thing, imaginative, living. I want children to know of its looseness, playfulness and freedom. But also of its power to change lives, save lives.

And the thing about saving lives? A good thing to remember...not only for the children, but for the poets as well.

Petrified Dune, Snow Canyon State Park, Utah

 

Once I was music

sand sifting settling

into curving lines

notes of earth 

rising falling

as music does

Listen:

I am not rock alone 

 

©Carol Coven Grannick 2022, Draft

 

 

 

                                                                      

 

 

Happy Book Birthday, FUNKY FUNGI! An Interview with Grogger Sue Heavenrich by Tina Cho

We have a special treat today. I interviewed one of our own Groggers, author Sue Heavenrich! Congratulations to her and co-author Alisha Gabriel on their new book FUNKY FUNGI: 30 ACTIVITIES FOR EXPLORING MOLDS, MUSHROOMS, LICHENS, AND MORE, published by Chicago Review Press. Read our interview about co-writing a nonfiction book for kids!

Tina: How did you come up with the idea for a book about fungus?

Sue: About ten years ago I drove off to a Highlights Foundation workshop with a composition book and a handful of pencils. The workshop focused on writing nonfiction for kids, and I’m sure I’ve got all the notes somewhere. One thing I remember, though, was heading down a trail with Alisha (my co-author) and stopping to take photos of some mushrooms. As we walked and talked, we realized we both had ideas for books about fungi. I invited Alisha to join my critique group and then, during the pandemic lockdown of 2020, she emailed me. Remember that cool mushroom from Highlights? she asked. Let's work on a fungus book together.

Tina: How long did it take to research and write?

Sue: At the beginning of June we pitched our book idea to the editor at Chicago Review Press, and asked if he’d like to see a proposal for the book. He replied ‘yes’ very quickly, so we set to work writing a proposal. A month later (July 2020) we submitted a proposal containing a query, a synopsis, a detailed outline of the chapters, a list of hands-on activities, as well as a completed introduction and first chapter. He took a few weeks to read it, but we dove into doing preliminary research. Our book, Funky Fungi comes out on June 21, about two years after we reached out to the editor.

Tina: You co-wrote this. How did that work? Did you assign chapters or sections?

Sue: We each took primary responsibility for specific chapters, or sections within a chapter – topics we were particularly interested in. For example, I love the idea of fungi turning insects into zombies, so I dove into bug-related things. Agriculture, too. Alisha was intrigued by forensic mycology and how mycelium is used to make textiles and building materials.

We shared sources, sent periodic updates, and shared drafts of each chapter as we went. When she sent me a chapter, I’d read through it, add comments or questions, make revision suggestions, and send it back. Revisions were a back-and-forth thing – and I feel like things went a bit easier with two sets of eyes (and two writer-brains) focused on the manuscript.

After a few back-and-forths, we’d connect by phone to read through the whole chapter. One person would type out the line edits as we talked, and then read them back. Our goal was to keep the author voice consistent throughout the manuscript.

Tina: How did you come up with your activities?

Sue: Most of the activities grew out of our experiences at summer camps, teaching science (me), exploring mushrooms in our backyards, or questions we had. Like: is it possible to make compost in an old soda bottle? Turns out it is. Alisha wanted to make a microscope; I wanted to dye a T-shirt with mushrooms. As we brainstormed a list of potential activities, we also knew that we wanted to include art and writing along with science. And we wanted the activities to be affordable and something anyone could do.

Tina: How did you find a mycologist to interview?

Sue: As a freelance journalist, I wrote for a county paper. I was always on the lookout for local science news, and met Dr. Kathie Hodge while working on an article about insect-invading fungi. So when we started thinking about the book, I reached out to Kathie for an interview. She is so fun to talk with, and I have gained a better appreciation for fungi from that connection.

Tina: What is your favorite fungus & why?

Sue: Oh, man! That’s like asking what’s my favorite kind of chocolate! I have a lot of favorites: bristly lichens that grow on tree branches; tiny mushrooms with thread-like stalks that grow in my lawn; the squid-like staghorn fungus that grew beneath a tomato plant in my garden; coral fungi – oh, and the mushrooms in my yard last summer that folded up like tacos.

Tina: What is your favorite mushroom dish?

Sue: Prior to working on this book I would not eat mushrooms. It was a texture thing. I’d pick them off my pizza and out of my stir-fry and give them to my husband. But as Alisha and I worked on our book, my hubby said, “how can you write a book about fungi and refuse to eat them?” So he fried up some baby bellas in olive oil and I tossed them with some stir-fried veggies and …. M-m-m! Changed my mind.

Tina: Did you have to obtain the photos for this book?

Sue: Yes, we were responsible for finding photos. In addition to the usual places to find photos, I reached out to naturalist friends whose fungus photos I’d seen on Facebook. I am so grateful for their generosity in sharing the cool mushrooms they found on their walks. Alisha and I scoured our photo collections, too.

Tina: I like the term “citizen scientist.” Did you coin that term? Or Where did you find it? Can you tell our readers what a citizen scientist is?

Sue: “Citizen science,” now called “community science” is used to describe projects that involve the public in collecting data for research projects. The idea is that a scientist working alone can only collect a certain amount of data, but if families and classrooms got involved then more information could be collected. Noticing which birds come to your feeder in the winter is one thing, but if hundreds of people keep track of birds that visit their feeder you have a bigger data set. I’ve collected data for Project Feeder Watch, and Monarch watch, where we tagged monarch butterflies and reported where we found them. For the past decade I’ve been collecting data for the Great Sunflower Project (pollinators), and last summer I participated in a BioBlitz, posting photos to iNaturalist. Data collected for Project Bud Burst has contributed to scientists’ understanding of the impacts of climate change. There are lots of projects waiting for people to get involved. Here are two places to find projects:

https://www.citizenscience.gov/catalog/#

https://scistarter.org/finder

Tina: What’s next for you?

Sue: I’m excited to have another picture book coming out in the fall of 2023 with Sleeping Bear Press,  The Pie that Molly Grew, illustrated by Chamisa Kellogg. I have some ideas for new book projects, so I’ll be doing some research and taking photos. Of course, I’ll be in the garden. I’ve never planted kohlrabi before, and I’m interested in seeing how it grows here in upstate NY. It looks like something one might find in the Herbology class at Hogwarts!

Sue Heavenrich a biologist and former high school science teacher. She shares hands-on science activities and reviews STEM books on her blog, Archimedes Notebook, and for more than 20 years wrote the science column for Ithaca Child. Her books include 13 Ways to Eat a Fly, illustrated by David Clark, and Diet for a Changing Climate: Food for Thought, with co-author Christy Mihaly.

Sue Heavenrich is represented by Heather Cashman at Storm Literary Agency

website: www.sueheavenrich.com

blog: Archimedes Notebook (archimedesnotebook.blogspot.com)

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SueHeavenrichWriter 

Sue’s co-author, Alisha Gabriel is an elementary music teacher and adjunct professor at Southwestern University. Not only has she used her writing skills to win four grants to benefit her students, but she’s played flute and piccolo for  video games – and even a TV commercial! Her books include Good Sports: Elliot Mack, Quarterback, and Silento: Breakout Rapper

Alisha Gabriel is represented by Heather Cashman at Storm Literary Agency

Website: https://alishagabriel.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alishagabriel.flute

Twitter: https://twitter.com/alishagabriel

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alisha_c_gabriel/