Books
Ablaze with Color: A Story of Painter Alma Thomas
As a child in Georgia, Alma Thomas loved to spend time outside, soaking up the colors around her. Despite the limitations and racial injustices they faced, her parents filled their home with color and creativity. After the family moved to Washington DC, Alma shared her passion for art by teaching children. When she was almost seventy years old, she focused on her own artwork, inspired by nature and space travel, new at the time. She became the first Black woman to have a solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum in New York City and the first Black woman to have her work chosen for the White House collection. With her bold and vibrant abstract paintings, Alma set the world ablaze with color.
Three *** Starred Reviews !
Dressing Up the Stars: The Story of Movie Costume Designer Edith Head
As a shy girl in the lonely desert near Searchlight, Nevada, Edith Head befriended wild animals and dressed them up in costumes.
As a wide-eyed teenager in the big city of Los Angeles, California she fell in love with the world of movies.
And as a determined woman in the film industry, she became one of the most celebrated costume designers of all time - and defined the style of an era.
Come only on her journey in this inspiring true story of a talented young artist’s rise to Hollywood stardom.
“The art and storytelling capture..the magic of costumes”
“A glamorous life story”
Maya Lin: Artist-Architect of Light and Lines
The bold story of Maya Lin, the visionary artist-architect who designed the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
As a child, Maya Lin loved to study the spaces around her. She explored the forest in her backyard, observing woodland creatures, and used her house as a model to build tiny towns out of paper and scraps. The daughter of a clay artist and a poet, Maya grew up with art and learned to think with her hands as well as her mind. From her first experiments with light and lines to the height of her success nationwide, this is the story of an inspiring American artist.
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A NSTA Best STEM Book of the Year
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A Junior Library Guild Selection
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A NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People
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A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book
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A Washington Post Book that Can Help Build Strong Girls and Boys for Today's World
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An Evanston Public Library Best Book of the Year
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A Texas Topaz List Selection
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An NCIBA Book Award Nominee
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A CCBC Master List Selection
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An Amazon Best Book of the Year
My Hands Sing the Blues: Romare Bearden's Childhood Journey
As a young boy growing up in North Carolina, Romare Bearden listened to his great-grandmother’s Cherokee stories and heard the whistle of the train that took his people to the North—people who wanted to be free. When Romare boarded that same train, he watched out the window as the world whizzed by. Later he captured those scenes in a famous painting, Watching the Good Trains Go By. Using that painting as inspiration and creating a text influenced by the jazz that Bearden loved, Jeanne Walker Harvey describes the patchwork of daily southern life that Romare saw out the train’s window and the story of his arrival in shimmering New York City.
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International Reading Association (IRA) Children's and Young Adult's Book Award Winner – Primary Nonfiction Category
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New York Public Library's Best Books to Read and Share – Picture Book Category
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A Moonbeam Children's Book Award: Picture Book – All Ages
Boats on the Bay
A large-format picture book about a bunch of boats found on a busy bay, buoyed by simple, spare, and lyrical text. Inspired by the San Francisco Bay but with universal appeal, the book features a spectacular double-spread gatefold finale showing a boat parade and fireworks glowing against a city backdrop.
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NCIBA Golden Poppy Award in the Picture Book Category
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A KidLitTV recommended book
Honey Girl: The Hawaiian Monk Seal
Hawaiian locals and visitors always enjoy spotting endangered Hawaiian monk seals, but Honey Girl is an extra special case. She has raised seven pups, and scientists call her - Super Mom. After Honey Girl is injured by a fishhook, she gets very sick. Scientists and veterinarians work to save Honey Girl until she can be released back to her beach. This true story will have readers captivated to learn more about this endangered species.
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NSTA – CBC Outstanding Science Trade Book 2018
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Animal Behavior Society Outstanding Children's Book Award
Astro the Steller Sea Lion
Only a few days old when found orphaned, he is cared for and raised at The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, California. When big enough to be released to the wild where he needs to be, he has other plans! Astro keeps swimming back towards the Center, crossing miles of open ocean water to do so. After several attempts, people realize that Astro is too accustomed to humans and will just keep coming back. Based on real events, readers follow Astro through his travels that have now taken him to his current home at the Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut.
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Mom's Choice Gold Award
Welcome!
photo by Mary Small
Thanks so much for visiting! Right now, I'm probably typing away while my cat tries to scoot onto my keyboard for a nap. Or maybe I'm reading with my nose deep in a research book about some new topic that's caught my fancy. Or perhaps I'm cogitating about how to express an idea while I trim flowers in my garden or dance around my kitchen (always a good way to shake out thoughts).
I LOVE writing, playing with words and phrases, and finding a story that I just can't wait to share with YOU!
