Stubby, the Dog Soldier has been selected for the 2015 Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People reading list by the National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) and the Children’s Book Council (CBC). The committee “looks for books that emphasize human relations, represent a diversity of groups and are sensitive to a broad… Continue reading Stubby, the Dog Soldier
Tag: nonfiction
Building the Golden Gate Bridge
While researching for this book, Building the Golden Gate Bridge, I learned a valuable lesson: If something is falling from above, don’t look up! If I hadn’t, I probably would have suffered a broken nose when a friend dropped a hammer while we were installing some cabinets. Instead, I kept my head down and was… Continue reading Building the Golden Gate Bridge
Review — Everything Dinosaurs
The introduction presents some dinosaur “what if”s: What if dinosaurs had not become extinct? What was the world really like with dinosaurs roaming around? Dr. Paul Sereno, a paleontologist, helps to answer these questions through his research. In “Explorer’s Corner” sidebars throughout the book, Dr. Sereno provides extra information from his worldwide expeditions. The four… Continue reading Review — Everything Dinosaurs
Stubby the Dog Soldier: World War I Hero
As a bit of a history buff and a dog lover (just ask my spoiled pooch Ty), I jumped at the chance to write a picture book about Stubby, a dog who truly shows how heroic and loyal are canine friends can be. This book was released earlier this summer and features some fantastic art… Continue reading Stubby the Dog Soldier: World War I Hero
Reveiw — Everything Mythology
In Everything Mythology, Blake Hoena and Adrienne Mayor introduce readers to a colorful and fearful world that is not entirely foreign. This book is filled with stories of Gods, Goddesses, Heroes, Monsters, revenge, love, hate, trickery and so much more. As readers and listeners journey into the world of Mythology they will quickly find characters… Continue reading Reveiw — Everything Mythology
Review — Everything Mythology & Dinosaurs
With more than 100 full-color illustrations these titles are visual treats, while providing a good deal of content. Each features four main sections with two-page chapters within those sections concentrating on specific topics. Within “Dinosaur Life,” for instance, readers will find spreads on the “Dino Nursery,” “Growing Up Dinosaur,” “Chomp or Be Chomped,” and “The… Continue reading Review — Everything Mythology & Dinosaurs
Everything Soccer
With the World Cup starting up in a little over a week, it’s great timing on my newest release, National Geographic Kids EVERYTHING Soccer. While working on this book, I even interviewed Omar Gonzalez, a star defender for Team USA. Summary: Score! Finally, a book that explains everything about soccer—a favorite team sport played by… Continue reading Everything Soccer
National Geographic Kids
This month I have two new books being released: Everything Dinosaurs and Everything Mythology, both published by National Geographic. The exciting part, for me, is that I grew up reading National Geographic Magazine. It’s how I learned about dinosaur fossils, exotic animals, and all the strange places around the world. National Geographic was part of… Continue reading National Geographic Kids
My Werewolf Movie Watching List
Or what I like to call research! One thing that helps me get started on a project is watching documentaries about the subject at hand, whether it’s Dinosaur Planet (2003) for a recent dinosaur book I worked on or Trouble the Water (2008) for something I wrote about Hurricane Katrina. A little TV watching is… Continue reading My Werewolf Movie Watching List
Bird Trivia
Recently, I’ve been working on a research project about birds. It’s fun learning about the animals that wake me up every morning with their song. I’m also lucky to have an uncle who’s an ornithologist. He studies birds for the American Museum of Natural History in New York. So he expects me to know a… Continue reading Bird Trivia