Bloom On

 

The Amelia Bloomer Project is one that's close to my heart!  Amelia Bloomer, just like Ellen Prentiss, the heroine in my picture book, Dare the Wind, followed her passion in spite of the gender expectations of her time.  Amelia worked for women's rights in the 19th century.  She was a suffragette and is best known for advocating for less restrictive women's clothing, including the 'bloomers' shown above, consisting of a loose top and a short skirt with pants underneath. Just as Amelia defied expectations, so did my heroine, Ellen.  Ellen learned to navigate clipper ships in an era when most women rarely worked outside their homes.  She eventually navigated the ship, Flying Cloud, on the fastest trip ever made by a clipper from New York to San Francisco. 

The Amelia Bloomer Project is an annual book list selected by a task force of the American Library Association.  The Project honors the best feminist books for young readers.  Dare the Wind was recently named to the 2015 Amelia Bloomer Project.  You can find more great books that celebrate amazing women by looking at the entire list.

Honors for Dare the Wind

Dare the Wind was just named an ALSC American Library Association 2015 Notable Children's Book.  Woohoo!!  I'm so appreciative of this honor.  Dare the Wind holds a special place for me because it's a true story featuring a strong, smart, amazing woman who was truly ahead of her time: what an inspiration for my own two strong, smart, amazing girls!  You can check out the entire list of 2015 Notables here.

I'm also happy to learn that Dare was named a CCBC Choices 2015 selection.  The list of honored books is available here.

More Books Coming!

I'm very excited to announce that I will soon have two new books published by Margaret Ferguson Books at Farrar, Straus & Giroux!  The first is a non-fiction picture book entitled Howard and the Mummy.  It will be illustrated by the fabulous Boris Kurlikov, who also illustrated my books, Barnum's Bones and the forthcoming W is for Webster.  I can't wait to see what Boris will dream up for Howard!  Howard is scheduled for publication in 2018.  The second book is entitled Wild Horse Annie, illustrator and pub date to be announced soon.

I've been working on both of these book manuscripts off-and-on for several years, so I will be especially thrilled and grateful to see these two books in print soon. 

Keep Reading!

I was recently sent a newspaper article about the great summer reading habits of some students at the Crosby Elementary School in Pittsfield, MA.  One fourth grade class had 80% participation in the school's summer reading program: the students' prize was a copy of Barnum's Bones.  Here's the story.  Awesome job, Crosby Elementary, and I hope you love Barnum!

Volunteer State Book Award

I'm honored to learn that Barnum has been nominated by the Tennessee Association of School Librarians for the 2015-2016 Volunteer State Book Award.  You can check out the whole list here. 

A T. Rex for the Smithsonian

There was a great story on NPR this morning about a nearly complete skeleton of a T. rex which was recently donated by the Museum of the Rockies to the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.

The T. rex that had previously been on display at the Smithsonian was a fake.  Well, actually it was a cast, or an exact replica of a T. rex skeleton.  Now, they will have the real thing! 


You can read and listen to the complete story here.  Barnum would be so proud!

Amelia Bloomer Project

I'm so excited to learn that Dare the Wind has been nominated for the 2015 Amelia Bloomer Project List.  This one is near and dear to me!  The Amelia Bloomer Project is an annual list of the best feminist books for young readers, compiled by a task force of the American Library Association.  The word 'feminist' has all sorts of connotations, all of which I proudly avow.  As the mom of two young women, I'm especially grateful for this nomination.  You can read more about the Project here and check out their past lists for some great fiction and nonfiction books about remarkable women. 

Here's Amelia sporting some of her finery:

Dare the Wind Reviews

Dare the Wind recently received a few more lovely reviews. 

The March/April edition of Horn Book said, "Fern's lively, nautically infused text rolls with the waves, while McCully's ink and watercolor illustrations reflect the resplendent blues and greens of vast, changeable oceans...This is a spirited and fascinating tale for landlubbers and sea-lovers alike..."  You can read the entire review here.

The April edition of School Library Journal also included a wonderful review.  "This book expertly describes Prentiss's early life, her love for the sea and the science of navigation, her marriage to Captain Perkins Creesy, and their remarkable accomplishment.  Readers will find this fictionalized account gripping and inspiring." 

Thank you!

Blog Interview

I had fun with another blog interview recently.   I answered questions posed by Mary Ann Scheuer over at Great Kids Books.  The interview focused on Dare the Wind and my research process.  It made me think again about why I'm drawn to the subjects I write about.  Science, history, and adventure seem to be a recurring theme, dating all the way back to college!  You can read the entire interview here.

Blog Interview

I had the pleasure of answering some questions recently about DARE THE WIND and my writing process.  Check out the full interview with Kate Hannigan on the blog, Author Of....

The photograph of me in the interview in an older one.  Here's a recent photo of my newest best buddy and officemate, Charlie:

March into Women's History

March is Women's History Month!  In honor of that, check out Junior Library Guild's Booktalk's to Go column on the School Library Journal website.  The column reviews some wonderful new picture books (including DARE THE WIND, of course!) about women who have made a difference.  There's also a LiveBinder full of awesome additional resources related to each of the reviewed books.

For more wonderful books celebrating strong women, also check out the 2014 Amelia Bloomer Project list.

 

Pippo Rises Again

My very first picture book, Pippo the Fool, told the story of Filippo Brunelleschi (better known as 'Pippo') and his quest to build an extraordinary dome atop the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, Italy.  The PBS show Nova recently aired a wonderful hour-long program, "The Great Cathedral Mystery," about Pippo and his dome.  The show sought to uncover the mystery of how Pippo constructed his huge dome by following a team of modern-day bricklayers as they constructed a small-scale reproduction of the dome.  As anyone who has ever visited the dome can agree, Pippo was anything but a fool!  His innovations, including a reverse gear pulley to carry supplies up and down, a spiral herringbone brick pattern, and a unique system of guide ropes, are the true secrets of the dome.  You can solve more of the mystery of the dome by watching "The Great Cathedral Mystery".

Barnum Brown

While researching another topic, I happened upon this wonderful photograph of Barnum Brown that I had never seen before.  Check out 'Mr. Bone's' dapper look:

Barnum really was an extraordinarily good dresser.  I especially love the boots!