.png)
Stories That Make Sense of the World
Lyrical, STEAM-rich children's books that
make big ideas simple, fun, and inspiring.
The Noisy Puddle
I wrote The Noisy Puddle to capture the wonder of vernal pools, those pop-up puddles that appear in the woods each spring, disappear in summer, and return again with the seasons.
As a systems educator and nature lover, I’m endlessly fascinated by how much life—frogs, salamanders, beetles, birds—depends on these “now-you-see-me, now-you-don’t” habitats.
Miki Sato’s exquisite paper-cut illustrations are so true to life you can almost hear the spring peepers peeping as you turn the pages. Together, the words and art invite young readers to listen, look closely, and discover the surprising web of creatures and connections thriving in a vernal pool. My hope is that The Noisy Puddle inspires children to slow down, get curious, and fall in love with the small but mighty worlds all around them.
Winner of the 2025 Best Picture Book!
(Massachusetts Book Awards)
.png)
Monument Maker
Monument Maker is an invitation to kids (ages 6 and up) to meet Daniel Chester French not just as the sculptor of the Lincoln Memorial, but as a farm boy struggled with school but loved to make things with his hands. Shawn Fields’ pen-and-ink illustrations are both luminous and wonderfully funny, catching the little, everyday moments of French’s life right alongside the grandeur of his art.
The book has won awards, but what matters most to me is that readers come away inspired, seeing art and history as alive and human, and realizing that their own tinkering and curiosity today might be the first steps toward something big tomorrow. At its heart, this is a true STEAM story, showing how creativity, engineering, and imagination can work together to shape the world we live in.
Heading 3
When the Snow Falls
The idea for When the Snow Falls was born after one of those magical New England snowstorms. My three kids were home for a snow day, and when we stepped outside, the snow was untouched, just a smattering of animal tracks, fence-post patterns, and that sparkling stillness that makes you hold your breath.
We dusted off our old kicksled (a wooden seat on skis!) and set off to explore. That day’s mix of quiet awe, laughter, and together-time inspired this story, a joyful snow-day adventure with Grandma and Grandpa, full of nature’s beauty and the cozy warmth that follows a day in the cold.
The spirit of this story? Carpe Diem (Go out and play in the snow!)
Available here:
Apart Together
During the pandemic, I found myself thinking about the young children growing up apart from others—three-year-olds missing the magic of being connected. Out of that wondering came Apart, Together, a playful picture book that asks what happens when things that are apart come together (HINT: they create something new!(. With lyrical text and fresh, vibrant illustrations artist Ariel Rutland, the book offers a gentle introduction to systems thinking, encouraging kids to notice interconnections, make predictions, and play with cause-and-effect.
It also supports key skills like critical and abstract thinking—without children even realizing they’re practicing them. For parents, teachers, and librarians, it’s a joyful read-aloud that sparks conversation. And at its heart, the book carries with it my bigger hope: that children who learn early to look for connections will be the ones who know how to create them—and use them to build something new and positive, like kindness in a classroom or teamwork on a playground.
COMING SOON! Do Bees Pee?
Let’s be honest. Poop talk gets giggles every time! But behind the “Yucks!” and “Ewwws!” is something amazing: in nature, nothing goes to waste.
In Do Bees Pee?, we discover how every creature, from bees to elephants to whales, reuses what others leave behind. What looks messy is actually nature’s clever way of keeping the world clean, moving, and full of life.
This funny, fact-filled book reminds us that even poop has a purpose, and invites us to wonder: what if our human systems worked more like nature’s, where everything has a place and nothing is wasted?
-- A laugh-out loud adventure in waste-free living.
COMING SOON
When the Wind Blows
I wrote The Wind Blows after nearly floating away in a windstorm while walking with my then-toddler son. His stroller almost took flight with one especially strong gust, and we both burst out laughing. From that day on, we’ve loved wild and woolly storms.
Writing this book was an act of noticing, of seeing what my two-year-old was seeing. I began to notice how the wind touches everything: rippling through grass, lifting awnings, powering kites, shaping clouds, linking land, air, and water in one great, exciting dance.With rhyming text and wind-blown art by Jana Christy, The Wind Blows is invitation to young readers to pause, pay attention, and to delight in the invisible force that move through, and connects us all.
Available through these online vendors:
Award-winning Stories for Curious Minds –
Inviting children to explore the hidden connections that shape our world.