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 Picture Book
Author/Illustrator: Deb Pilutti
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co
ISBN: 978-0805097597
Synopsis: In order to be a real superhero, you have to follow some important rules:
Rule #1: A superhero must ALWAYS respond to a call for help.
Rule #2: Saving the day is messy. But everyone understands.
In this handy guide, Captain Magma and his trusty sidekick, Lava Boy, take young readers on an adventure to learn all ten rules of being a good superhero.
Click here for Discussion/Activity Guide
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.
A picnic, a beach, a pie cut into pieces and shared with good friends.
Pie is for sharing.
It starts off round, and you can slice it into as many pieces as you want. What else can be shared? A ball, of course. A tree? What about time?
Through the course of one memorable Fourth of July picnic, Stephanie Ledyard and Jason Chin take young readers through the ups and downs of sharing in this lovely picture book.
All the students in the class are assigned reading buddies. Except for Adelaide. She already has one. A bear! And Adelaide is quite persuasive as she explains to her language arts teacher, Mrs. Fitz-Pea, and the reader, that bears really do make the best reading buddies. They sniff out good books. Their claws are just right for turning pages. And the bear looks rather friendly (and studious) in these crayon-bright, contemporary illustrations, making this picture book perfect for every collection.
In Beth Navarro's debut picture book, Grambo, a boy discovers his grandma is not your average grandma. She's a secret agent! Grandmas can do anything.
2016 Moonbeam Children's Book Award Winner! A beautiful story of a boy and his beloved grandpa, who watches over him with super powers, even though grandpa is in Heaven. This sweet, sentimental story will help little one's understand and cope with the loss of a grandparent. My Superhero Grandpa is cheerfully illustrated and uplifting.
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.
"Two grandmas. Two delicious recipes. Sophie loves Bubbe's Jewish chicken soup, made with kreplach. She also loves Nai Nai's Chinese chicken soup, with wonton. But don't tell Bubbe and Nai Nai that their soups are the same!"--
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.
Bear can do everything—except ride a bike. Discover how he overcomes his two-wheeled challenge in this irresistibly adorable picture book!
Bear can do almost anything. His one-paw pawstand is perfection. He can solve the trickiest of equations. He can even out-build a brigade of beavers. But the one thing Bear can’t do? Ride a bike.
Bear tries everything to help him learn: library books, training wheels and super-cheers from his fellow animal friends. But all of those fail to get poor Bear on two wheels. The situation is looking unbearable—but an unexpected mishap might be just the thing that propels Bear to bike on!
From E.B. White Read Aloud author Adam Lehrhaupt comes an inspiring new picture book that takes apart the pieces of a story—hero, heroine, setting, conflict—and asks the reader to put the story back together again. This is a good story…or is it?
As a child takes her pencil and begins to draw pictures for a story, the narrator takes her and the reader through a rollicking sequence of events in this classic tale of bad guys and townsfolk and dungeons. With simplicity and flair, Adam tells a story and then a meta-story of the parts of the story at once! This Is a Good Story is a wonderful primer on the parts of a story and an imaginative way to encourage creative thinking, writing, and storytelling.
When the parts of speech gather on the playground, Verb is always the star. She can climb! She can frolic! She can DO anything! Her friends Adjective, Adverb, and Interjection all watch admiringly. ("WOW!" says Interjection.)
Then Noun comes along -- and Noun can BE anything. A person! A place! Even a thing! ("PRETTY!" says Interjection.) The other parts of speech are fascinated by this new kid, and Verb doesn't like it one bit.
But when a new threat menaces the playground, Noun can't move! There's only one part of speech who can DO something about it ... and that might allow Noun and Verb to BE something together: friends.
From the author of Warning: Do Not Open This Book comes a lively story about a teacher’s special jar where her students keep their story ideas—but watch out when those ideas go on the loose!
The idea jar is where students keep their ideas—anything from a Viking to a space robot to a giant dragon. These ideas can be combined to make new exciting stories. But watch out when the ideas escape the jar—they might get a little rowdy! Adam Lehrhaupt’s newest picture book is sure to inspire creativity, imagination, and adventure.
It’s morning, and Emma wants pancakes. But the two-headed giant who lives on Snuggle Mountain has forgotten all about breakfast. So lump by bump, Emma begins her climb up the shaking, quaking mountain to reach the giant’s snuggly cave. How can Emma wake the giant without getting caught in the Sleeping Spell?
This fun and original picture book introduces Almigal, a spunky little girl with hearing loss who is now determined to hear every single sound in the universe thanks to her new cotton candy pink cochlear implants. These sounds include a baby’s funny giggle, the robin’s chirps outside the window, the soft song played during ballet class, and especially her best friend Chloe’s teeny-tiny voice. But most of all, Almigal wants to hear her parents whisper to her when they tuck her into bed every night. Almigal’s spirit will have both children and parents alike rooting for her, while the story delivers a positive message about accepting and celebrating differences.
Synopsis: One by one, Caterpillar, Tadpole, and Flamingo gaze up at the night sky and wish upon a star for their wildest dreams. Baboon insists these dreams could never come true. But when he sees Caterpillar turn into a winged butterfly, Tadpole into a dancing frog, and Flamingo into a beautiful pink bird, Baboon realizes that a transformative power exists between the stars and the animals once they truly believe in themselves and their dreams. When Baboon tries out this secret, CATCH-M, his Magical, Mystical, Wished-Upon Star, whooshes down from the heavens to wham! ignite the courage in his chest too, and what happens next is fantastic!
Dream Big's inspirational message makes it a perfect gift for dreamers of all ages, from children to young adults about to enter a new chapter in their lives. Together we can all be inspired to identify and pursue our dreams, no matter how big or impossible they may seem.
Synopsis: One by one, Caterpillar, Tadpole, and Flamingo gaze up at the night sky and wish upon a star for their wildest dreams. Baboon insists these dreams could never come true. But when he sees Caterpillar turn into a winged butterfly, Tadpole into a dancing frog, and Flamingo into a beautiful pink bird, Baboon realizes that a transformative power exists between the stars and the animals once they truly believe in themselves and their dreams. When Baboon tries out this secret, CATCH-M, his Magical, Mystical, Wished-Upon Star, whooshes down from the heavens to wham! ignite the courage in his chest too, and what happens next is fantastic!
Dream Big's inspirational message makes it a perfect gift for dreamers of all ages, from children to young adults about to enter a new chapter in their lives. Together we can all be inspired to identify and pursue our dreams, no matter how big or impossible they may seem.
Trade professionals describe this book as "unique," "lyrical," "funny," and "wonderfully absurd"--with a "memorable" lead character. Mr. Mouthful is a windbag whose highfalutin talk causes trouble and confusion for kids. But he learns his lesson when a little girl wanders off a dock, falls into the water, and needs to be rescued--fast. Kids will laugh at the antics of Mr. Mouthful and his monkey, Dupree. They will learn some new words. And they will love the jaunty illustrations of Kerry Bell.
Joseph Kimble is a distinguished professor emeritus at Western Michigan University-Cooley Law School. He taught legal writing for 35 years and has won several national and international awards for his work in promoting plain language in public communication.
Ever wonder what’s going on in the mind of a dog? Here is an entertaining look at life from the point of view of a family pooch—a canine with a tongue-twisting, fun way of talking, and some serious attitude. As the dog’s “people family” grows, so does her dismay at having to share her space with so many new and noisy feet. But as she discovers, making room also brings new joy. With a happy surprise ending and charming illustrations full of humor, this is a heartwarming—and doggone funny—rhyming story that kids will ask for again and again.
In the vein of Eloise and Marley, here's an adorable tale of two well-intentioned rule breakers who show each other how friends deserve to be treated
Bella knows her family's rules by heart, but she much prefers her own: Candy for breakfast, no hair-washing, and no such thing as bedtime. And then . . . Bella the wild child gets a new pet! At first, Bella and Puppy are the very best of friends. But when it turns out that Puppy doesn't like the family rules either (including the rule not to gnaw off Bella's teddy bear's arm), well...it's time for a little puppy training. And Bella might just learn a thing or two herself!
