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*NEW BOOKS*

Else B illustration of a painting underwater

About Else Bostelmann’s painted fantastical marine illustrations of deep-sea creatures.

Illustrated by Melodie Stacey
and published by Cameron Kids/ Abrams.

Interior of Glass Pyramid

Coming Summer 2025

THE GLASS PYRAMID

I. M. Pei in front of the glass pyramid.

I.M. Pei and the Louvre

This STEAM-based picture book biography details the power of I.M. Pei's creativity, problem-solving, and persistence while facing objections and challenges to building his now-famous pyramid design for the Louvre.

Illustrated by Khoa Le
and published by Atheneum Books for
Young Readers/ Simon & Schuster
.

Alma Thomas painting illustration

A Story of Painter
Alma Thomas

Searchlghts in Hollywood illustration from DRESSING UP THE STARS - Edith Head picture book biography for children

The Story of Movie Costume Designer Edith Head

All Books

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Books

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Else B. in the Sea: The Woman Who Painted the Wonders of the Deep

A poetic picture book biography about a daring and pioneering woman artist that combines themes of art and science. A perfect STEAM book!

Else Bostelmann donned a red swimsuit and a copper diving helmet and, with paints and brushes in hand, descended into the choppy turquoise sea off the coast of Bermuda. It was 1930, and few had ventured deep into the sea before. She discovered a fairyland six fathoms below the surface—fantastic coral castles, glittering sunbeams, swaying sea plumes, and slender purple sea fans. And fish! Flashy silverfish, puckering blue parrotfish, iridescent jellyfish. Else painted under the sea! She painted what she saw with her own eyes.

 

 Back on land, Else painted the never-before-seen deep-sea creatures described by world-renowned scientist William Beebe on his momentous 1930s bathysphere expeditions for the New York Zoological Society’s Department of Tropical Research. It was a daring and glamorous adventure and a dream come true for Else B., who shared this new, unfathomable world with humankind.

Vector Award Ribbon
*STARRED* Review: Booklist
  • American Library Association Booklist’s Top 10 Arts Books for Youth in 2024

Ablaze with Color
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.

  • School Library Journal Best Books of 2022

  • New York Public Library Best Books for Kids 2022 – Nonfiction

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  • Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Books of 2022 –
    Informational Books for Younger Readers

  • Jane Addams Children's Book Award 2023 Finalist – Younger Children

  • NAACP Image Award Nomination for Outstanding Literary Work – Childrens

  • California Independent Booksellers Alliance Golden Poppy Finalist –
    Picture Books

  • 2022 Best Nonfiction Books – Nerdy Book Club

  • Charter Oak Children's Book Nonfiction Nominee 2022-2023

  • ARTNews - Best 2023 Children’s Books About Artists

  • CCBC (Cooperative Children’s Book Center) Best of the Year 2023 Choices

*STARRED* Reviews:
Booklist, School Library Journal, Horn Book
  • The Library of Congress 2022 Great Reads From Great Places choice for Washington, D.C.

Dressing Up the Stars - The Story of Movie Costume Designer Edith Head
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.

  • CCBC (Cooperative Children’s Book Center) Best of the Year 2023 Choices

  • CBC (Children’s Book Council) Children’s Favorites Awards 2023

Vector Award Ribbon
*STARRED* Review: Booklist
Maya Lin - Artist-Architect of Light and Lines
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.

Vector Award Ribbon
  • A NSTA Best STEM Book of the Year

  • A Junior Library Guild Selection

  • The Library of Congress 2018 Great Reads From Great Places choice for Washington, D.C.

  • A NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People

  • A Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Book

  • A Washington Post Book that Can Help Build Strong Girls and Boys for Today's World

  • An Evanston Public Library Best Book of the Year

  • A Texas Topaz List Selection

  • An NCIBA Book Award Nominee

  • A CCBC Master List Selection

  • An Amazon Best Book of the Year

*STARRED* Review: Hornbook
My Hands Sing the Blues - Romare Bearden's Childhood Journey
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

  • New York Public Library's Best Books to Read and Share – Picture Book Category

  • A Moonbeam Children's Book Award: Picture Book – All Ages

Boats on the Bay
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

  • A KidLitTV recommended book

Honey Girl The Hawaiian Monk Seal
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.

Vector Award Ribbon
  • NSTA – CBC Outstanding Science Trade Book 2018

  • Animal Behavior Society Outstanding Children's Book Award

Astro the Steller Sea Lion
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.

Vector Award Ribbon
  • Mom's Choice Gold Award

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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!

Jeanne Walker Harvey
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Fun Projects

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