As any author will tell you, for every published book, we have LOTS of unpublished material that we’re still working on. Here’s a little about just a few books that I’m still working on / shopping around.
Snow Bird
Some of my favorite books, both to read and to write, seamlessly blend art and information, stories and science. Snow Bird explores the life of snow petrels, Antarctic birds that are perfectly adapted to a world of ice. Snow petrels don’t only survive on the ice; they depend and thrive on it. Even penguins stay at the fringes of Antarctica. But dove-sized snow petrels nest over the frozen heart of the continent.
By showing Antarctica through the life of snow petrels, Snow Bird explores a winter world in a way no other book has. Snow Bird touches on geography, habitat, climate change, and the food chain – plenty of tie-ins to school curricula.
Patrice Plans a Party
In this story, Patrice is planning Giraffe’s birthday party. She wants to get everything ready for the party, but her type I diabetes is getting in the way.
This manuscript combines my interests in medical writing and writing for children. Studies show that for children with type I diabetes, the emotional challenges surrounding diabetes management can be just as difficult as the medical and technical challenges. For these kids, simply being told what they should do won’t necessarily help them enough. This story frames diabetes management within a child’s narrative to help the reader with those emotional challenges.
Illustration by Colleen Muske