I’ve been working on a few different projects: several picture books and a middle-grade nonfiction proposal. I expect I’ll be dusting off my novel manuscript this year, too. I’m looking forward to a bunch of upcoming speaking opportunities and a new book coming in May 2027: Newton’s Paws of Motion!

I’ve also been keeping busy with climate advocacy volunteering—including coordinating a recent trip to Olympia for 15 students and 13 adult chaperones, where the students lobbied 10 of our state legislators for four different climate-friendly policies. It was a successful trip, and it felt good to make a difference—for the climate and for the kids.

In personal news, my oldest kiddo just finished their Master’s degree in bioinformatics and bought a house in Denmark, so I’m looking forward to visiting them there again this year, along with some other fun trips to places I’ve never been before!

I hope you and yours are safe and well. 💜

The whole series, now in board book!

You Are a Robin! and You Are a Garter Snake! both recently released in board book format, so now your littlest readers can own the whole set. All the books in the Meet Your World series use movement and pretend play to introduce young readers to animals that most likely live in their neighborhoods… AND to the joy of reading!

Buy now

2025 in review:

I always like to sit down and reflect on the past year as we move into a new one. Here are some of the highlights:

• I got back on my feet after breaking and badly spraining my ankle at the end of 2024.
• I got to visit my family in Wisconsin and later in Michigan.
• I led the event planning for and moderated a panel at the Citizens’ Climate Lobby’s Greater Pacific Northwest regional conference.
• I sold a manuscript (Newton’s Paws of Motion, coming in May 2027 from Sourcebooks Xpress)!
• I participated monthly in a citizen science program to monitor amphibian populations in a nearby park.
• I bought a new car (an all-electric Honda Prologue).
• I got to spend time with my oldest kiddo when they came back to the U.S. to attend a friend’s wedding on Orcas Island.
• I lobbied for climate policies in person in Washington, D.C., and virtually.
• I researched and made progress on a middle-grade nonfiction proposal, but have since shelved it (at least for the time being). 
• I finished one nonfiction picture book poetry manuscript and started another one (alas, poetry picture books are a tough sell these days!).
• I researched and started drafting another nonfiction picture book (NOT poetry).
• I revised an old nonfiction picture book (but it still needs more work).
• I wrote an article for the SCBWI’s Essential Guide to Publishing for Children.
• I got a letter to the editor published in the Seattle Times.
• I presented at five school visits, one library event, five Meet Your World story walks, the Washington Library Association conference, Kindling Words West, an adult writing for children course, and the Poulsbo Book Festival.
• I planted dozens of trees and removed invasive plants in our local parks.
• I saw a ton of spectacular plays and musicals.
• I got to spend lots of quality time with family, friends, and pets. 

Favorite reads of 2025:

I enjoyed a lot of great books last year, so I wanted to share a few of my favorites with you. In no particular order, here they are:

Picture book fiction:

• Grace Builds an Almost Perfect Dog by Curtis Manley and Tracy Subisak
• This Wolf Was Different by Katie Slivensky and Hannah Salyer
• Blue by Suzanne Kaufman
• There’s Something Odd About the Babysitter by Elayne Crain and John Ledda
• The Riding Lesson by Jennifer K. Mann

Picture book nonfiction:

• From BAM! to BURP!: A Carbon Atom’s Never-Ending Journey Through Space and Time and YOU by Melissa Stewart and Marta Alvarez Miguens
• On an Ocean Journey: Animals in Motion Through the Seas by Elizabeth Shreeve and Ray Troll
• Flurry, Float, and Fly!: The Story of a Snowstorm by Laura Purdie Salas and Chiara Fedele
• Bounce! A Scientific History of Rubber by Sarah Albee
• Pedal Pusher: How One Woman’s Bicycle Adventure Helped Change the World by Mary Boone and Lisa Anchin
• Almost Underwear by Jonathan Roth

Middle grade fiction:

• The Unexpected Lives of Ordinary Girls by J. Anderson Coats
• Premeditated Myrtle by Elizabeth Bunce
• Annie California by Margaret Kellerman

Middle grade nonfiction:

• Eating to Save the Planet: How Veganism Helps Fight Climate Change by Anne Broyles

Adult fiction:

• The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow
• Starling House by Alix E. Harrow
• The Mountain in the Sea by Ray Nayler
• Weyward by Emilia Hart
• The Sirens by Emilia Hart
• The Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner
• The Story Collector by Evie Woods
• The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods
• Somewhere Beyond the Sea by T.J. Klune
• Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
• Brigands and Breadknives by Travis Baldree

Adult nonfiction:

• Blueprint for a Revolution by Srdja Popovic
• Wildly Inspired by Joni Sensel
• Bigger by Ren Cedar Fuller

Upcoming events:

• Feb 4: Author visit at St. Louise Elementary
• Feb 10: Literacy night at Apollo Elementary
• Mar 1: Attendee at nErDcamp Bellingham
• Mar 2: Author visit at Ben Franklin Elementary
• Mar 17: Keynote speaker at Tacoma Public Schools Highly Capable seminar
• Mar 31-Apr 8: Vacation! 
• May 2: Breakout speaker at SCBWI-WWA conference
• May 11–18: Attendee at Kindling Words West on Whidbey Island
• Jul 14–15: Library presentations at Sequim, Forks, and Port Angeles

I’d love to hear from you! Please drop me a line anytime. And thanks for reading!