Simple ways to be more sustainable—let’s start today!

Quit single use plastics for an entire month. That was the pledge I took this July as part of #plasticfreeJuly, a global…


OLD ENOUGH TO SAVE THE PLANET: A Nod to Nonfiction Earth Day Titles

How can people join the fight against climate change? That’s the premise behind a middle grade series that I’m currently…


Barbara The Budgie Inspires Middle Grade Book Blog on Birds

Never in my wildest dreams did I think I’d be the caretaker of a pet bird. A budgie. That’s a parakeet for non-bird people.…


Found 'em in the Little Free Library

A Little Free Library is a small, wooden box commonly in the shape of a house, mounted on a post, and packed with books. The…


Wildlife Over Waste

I have a great little quote on my office bulletin board that reads: “Animals don’t litter. Humans do.” The manuscript that…


3 Fun and Creative Ways To Do Research

Setting the scene I consider myself a fact finder. I love looking up information about a variety of topics—whether it’s the…


Safari Adventures: Elephants In Crisis

“When a poacher kills an elephant, he doesn’t just kill the elephant who dies. The family may lose the crucial memory of…


Safari Adventures: Khalid, The Secondary Character, Takes Center Stage

“He [Chris] watched as Khalid moved from the cool shade of the welcome center to stand under an acacia tree. Chris noticed…


Safari Adventures: The Largest Land Mammal

I have done so much research on African elephants over the years that I found the easiest way to keep track of all the…


Safari Adventures: The Making of Elephant-Dung Paper

“After lunch, Chris met up with Stephan to make journals out of elephant-dung paper. This homemade slightly thick paper…