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…