I create quality, affordable, project-specific, supplemental materials connecting people with literature. As an educator and fellow author, I am skilled in navigating the needs of the educational and literary worlds.
The intent of this website is to showcase the incredible projects I've been privileged to participate in. Please contact me if you have any questions or desire to discuss a project you'd like to partner with.
My debut picture book Girls with Guts: The Road to Breaking Barriers and Bashing Records (Charlesbridge, 2019) is the tenacious history of the female athlete from the first Olympic Games to present day, including the passage of Title IX.
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All in Special Projects
Synopsis: Yes, bears sometimes eat squirrels. But can they still be friends? Find out in this clever picture book that’s perfect for preschoolers.
The other bears said, “Squirrel would make a good midnight snack!”
Bear said, “Squirrel’s my friend. I would never eat a friend.”
But what happens if Bear gets really, really hungry? Squirrel has just the solution! This story about the power and bond of friendship will warm the hearts—and tickle the funny bones—of everyone who reads it.
When a little girl moves to a new town, she finds a place called Butterfly Park. But when she opens the gate, there are no butterflies.
Determined to lure the butterflies in, the girl inspires her entire town to help her. And with their combined efforts, soon the butterflies—and the girl—feel right at home.
Elly MacKay's luminous paper-cut illustrations and enchanting story encourage community, friendship, and wonderment in the beauty of everyday life.
Opposites attract and become fast friends in this quirky, funny picture book.
Wooby lives in a nice, quiet neighborhood where everyone minds his own business. And he likes it that way. Then noisy, energetic Peep moves next door with her banging and smashing and crashing. She even gives a “wild” PARTY! At first, shy Wooby is beside himself—until he realizes that he and Peep have more in common than he ever imagined. Hilarious comic-book panels throughout add fun and joy to this unique story.
Little Louie is stuck in bed with a bad cold. His nose is clogged, his ears are crackling, and his brain feels full. All he wants is his mom to take care of him, but whenever he calls out for her, his stuffed-up nose summons slobbery dog Bob instead!
When Lulu's feeling well, she climbs every tree in sight, especially
the tallest ones,
the ones with the widest branches,
the ones with the stickiest sap.
But when Lulu's sick, she's not allowed outside. She wonders if the trees are lonely without her. Maybe the birds are too.
Without Lulu, nobody climbs the trees but the sun. . . which casts a shadow on Lulu's wall. . . for her to climb.
A wild wind blows on the tippy-top of a steep hill, turning everything upside down for the man who lives there. Luckily, Kate comes up with a plan to tame the wind. With an old wheelbarrow full of young trees, she journeys up the steep hill to add a little green to the man's life, and to protect the house from the howling wind. From award-winning author Liz Garton Scanlon and whimsical illustrator Lee White comes a delightfully simple, lyrical story about the important role trees play in our lives, and caring for the world in which we live.
When a substitute teacher named Miss Pelly comes to class, one student bristles at the change in routine-Miss Pelly doesn't follow the rules like Mrs. Giordano. But in time, our student learns that even though the substitute may do things a little differently, and she may be a bit silly, mixing things up might not be so bad.
Told in a series of epistolary poems, this funny, relatable picturebook is a great fit for classrooms and for any child nervous about new experiences.
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra finds refuge from his difficult childhood by imagining the adventures of a brave but clumsy knight.
This fictionalized first-person biography in verse of Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra follows the early years of the child who grows up to pen Don Quixote, the first modern novel. The son of a gambling, vagabond barber-surgeon, Miguel looks to his own imagination for an escape from his family’s troubles and finds comfort in his colorful daydreams. At a time when access to books is limited and imaginative books are considered evil, Miguel is inspired by storytellers and wandering actors who perform during festivals. He longs to tell stories of his own. When Miguel is nineteen, four of his poems are published, launching the career of one of the greatest writers in the Spanish language.
Award-winning author Margarita Engle’s distinctive picture book depiction of the childhood of the father of the modern novel, told in a series of free verse poems, is enhanced by Raúl Colón’s stunning illustrations. Backmatter includes a note from both the author and illustrator as well as additional information on Cervantes and his novel Don Quixote.
"Inspires young dreamers to find the courage to be doers."―Jerry Greenfield, Co-Founder, Ben & Jerry's
Being an entrepreneur means...
Following your dream
Loving to learn and being curious
Taking risks
When Rae witnesses an ice cream-and-doggie mishap, she's inspired to create a big-scale solution to help get dogs clean. Rae draws on her determination, resilience, and courage until she―and everyone else in her community―learns just what it means to be an entrepreneur.
It’s picture day, and the boy at the center of this charming picture book wants to make sure his picture is perfect. It seems as though everything’s going wrong for him―he has bedhead, a stained shirt, and a big scowl on his face. But when he goes up for his picture, he thinks about his terrible appearance, and he smiles―because he secretly wants his picture to be the worst ever taken! But just as he smiles, the photo is snapped and his plan is ruined―the photo looks great.
Perfectly paired with the larger-than-life silliness of Dan Santat’s illustrations, this is sure to be a schoolroom favorite. It will come bound with a picture frame in the back so readers can add their own class photos to the book.
Thousands of years ago people living on the steppes of central Asia realized that horses could transport them long distances, help them fight their wars, pull their plows, and provide them with sport and companionship. Ever since, horses and human history have been intertwined.
Since prehistoric times, humans and dogs have shared a unique bond and both have served each other well. Early people discarded food and as a result, wild wolves cast fear and caution aside, following and approaching their two-legged neighbors until they became less wary of each other. As humans hunted, fished, herded, and hauled, they found ways to benefit from the presence and talents of these animals. Over time, both learned to work together, rely on, and like each other.
Have fun on this poetic tour through the leaf litter layer and dig into the fascinating facts about the tiny critters who live there.
Nineteen poems in a variety of verse forms with accompanying science notes take readers on a decomposer safari through the "brown food web," from bacteria through tardigrades and on to rove beetle predators with other busy recyclers in-between. Glossary, hands-on investigations, and resources are included in the back matter.
In a world where chocolate is purple, where roller skates grow on trees and all kinds of things turn topsy turvy, one thing your little one can count on is your love. Full of delightful rhymes and whimsical imagery this fun bedtime story will warm hearts and ignite imaginations.
