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There is nothing more humbling than knowing your book made a difference in the life of a child. A few days ago I had the privilege of zooming into the STEM lab of Amy Parks, a dedicated and wonderful STEM teacher at Forts Ferry Elementary School in New York. The second grade classes in her school were getting ready to start their habitats unit and wanted to kick it off with a reading of my informational fiction picture book, EMERSYN BLAKE AND THE SPOTTED SALAMANDER.  After sharing a few slides about my love of teaching and writing, we played an animal guessing game, and then I read the book to them. During my author visits I always point out how Emersyn Blake carries her Wonderings Notebook wherever she goes so she can sketch and jot thoughts about the things she notices in nature. Today I received the kindest email from Amy letting me know what happened AFTER the visit!  "One child went home on Tuesday and started her own wondering journal all about the cardinals she was watching in her backyard." Amy has a copy of my other two books as well: EMERSYN BLAKE AND THE STALKED JELLYFISH and BEASTIES OF THE TREE HOLLOWS. One teacher, Sheri O'Connor, asked to borrow them and read them to her class. Look at the amazing books they created based on those readings!
When I first started writing the Emersyn Blake series, yes, I wanted to entertain and inform children, but I really wanted to provide picture books that elementary teachers could integrate seamlessly into their science lessons. One of the last sentences of Amy's email will stay with me forever: "The teacher said it has been her most enjoyable week of the year."
If you or anyone you know would be interested in an author visit to learn about EMERSYN BLAKE or the BEASTIES OF THE TREE HOLLOWS, please leave me a comment or click on my Connect button! Wow, what a week!
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Let me start by saying I have NEVER, in our almost 30 years of living on our pond, seen a loon here. We've had resident mallards, Canada geese, wood ducks, grey herons, and this year an osprey--but never a loon. Yesterday morning, I was finishing up some research I've been doing on loons for a new picture book manuscript. I needed to return some reference books about this interesting species to the library, so I was squeezing out every last detail I could. Fast forward to the afternoon. My daily walk with Mocha, our Shih-Poo, always includes a visit to our pond, her favorite place. I immediately noticed a bird in the distance diving under the surface of the calm water. My heart started pounding as I raced to get my binoculars. Sure enough, it was a loon.  As soon as it noticed me, it ran across the water, taking off into the cloudless blue sky. It circled the pond twice and splashed down again, resuming its underwater hunt for fish. I was lucky enough to watch it surface and swallow one whole. I couldn't believe what I was seeing! Until that morning, I hadn't known that loons migrated south during the winter months. Having grown up in Vermont, I'd seen loons on many of our cold-water lakes and ponds, but not here in North Carolina! I wish I could've taken a picture through my binoculars, it was spectacular.  After watching for quite a while--I lost track of time--it awkwardly scuttled across the surface, soared around the pond once, continuing directly over my head and above the towering pine trees at the edge of our property. How lucky was I to catch a glimpse of one of its pit stops along its journey home?
Sometimes the universe gives you a sign. At times it's just a small detail that you almost miss unless you're looking closely. And other times, it flies directly into your view, ensuring you notice it. It's #SpringFlingKidlitContest time once again! Thank you to Kaitlyn Sanchez, Ciara O'Neal, and guest judge Cindy Lurie for organizing and judging this fun event!  SPRINGTIME FOR JELLYFISH Sunshine streams brightly
on longer spring days. Life launches and blossoms in saltwater ways. We think about springtime with pollen--ACHOO! Forgetting that oceans enjoy seasons too. The ocean’s top layers shed winter’s dark gloom. New plant life awakens-- small algae in bloom! This nourishing flora-- a spring sea buffet-- is vital to jellies who flutter and sway. Now out of their polyps, these infants must learn to swim, sting, and sneak from foes causing concern. Like sea turtle mothers who like jellies best, to nourish their bodies on journeys to nest. Young jellyfish babies must learn how to hide, by blending with colors they pass as they glide. Spring brings other travels-- migrations of whales. And jellyfish snacks cause a flutter of tails. Watch out, little jellies, as springtime arrives! This season’s a time when most ocean life thrives. |
Kim CollazoSTEM Advocate and Picture Book Author Archives
April 2025
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