I’m not a scientist. I’m a science lover. I have been one since childhood. Back then, a special book on my shelf was a science textbook that my father co-wrote. I couldn’t understand the big words or concepts then, but ... Read More  

Did you have a dinosaur phase when you were a kid? I did. I was in the second grade, and I was obsessed. I pored over library books, memorizing five-syllable names and amazing the adults with my stockpile of ... Read More  

It's Science Literacy Week! And while I cannot even believe it's the middle of September already, I am always so excited when SLW rolls around. Because SLW is the week when we celebrate science, and what science is, and ... Read More  

My newest picture book, WHEN SPIDER MET SHREW (illustrated by Genevieve Cote and published by Groundwood Books), is about a group of unlikely creatures – Spider, Shrew, Bat, Possum, Dog, and Pony – who find friendship, compassion, and community ... Read More  

I vividly remember going to see Jurassic Park (1993) in the theatre. It was me and two of my besties, on the edge of our seats... at least until Kelsey and I glanced over at Julie-Ann and she wasn't ... Read More  

My daughter opened my eyes and heart to the world of disabilities. Annaliis was born with spina bifida and used a wheelchair from preschool onward. It was a great joy to see kids welcome and fully include her in ... Read More  

Sasquatch celebrated her 20th birthday on May 30. On June 23, we sent her to kitty heaven. She had arthritis and kidney failure and took more medications than I do. But she was as happy and snuggly as a ... Read More  

Can You Believe It? How to Spot Fake News and Find the Facts is my sixth book—my first non-fiction. I’ve been talking to students about the news since 2010, when I created TeachingKidsNews.com with educator Jon Tilly. Over the years, ... Read More  

How to Become an Accidental Activist (Orca Books) is the sixth book I’ve written with Elizabeth MacLeod. It’s geared for kids and adults age 8 and up and focuses on a diverse group of women and men of all ... Read More  

I began writing the first draft of this novel so long ago, its working title was Frozen. Well, we all know what happened to that title, thank you very much Disney! I’d go through several more titles before settling ... Read More  

Every now and then, as a picture book author/illustrator, I do the one thing that I know I should not do. I’m in a good mood, I’m feeling upbeat about my career, and the world is a cheerful, friendly ... Read More  

For all the dogs I’ve known in my life, I wrote What the Dog Knows. Such a slow and pleasureful project; it took nearly ten years of revising the story and evolving the characters. No one rushed me, I ... Read More  

I was devoted to my dolls from an early age, and my love of dolls has never left me. I think I have about 26 or 27 now … I’ve lost count. Most of them are tucked away in ... Read More  

If the last two years have taught us anything, it's that science matters. It helps us solve problems, find solutions (or mix them!), and make life better. Read More  

A conversation with my grandson was the catalyst that sent me off into the wonderful, surprising world of how animals see. One summer day we were strolling home from the park. I was pointing things out to him: flowers, ... Read More  

Years ago, when my first child was an infant, I swore to myself that I could and would keep writing. I was still working part-time in a restaurant and doing bits of freelance work, but I was determined to ... Read More  

If you've got young kids, probably pretty recently. If you don't? Was it pre-COVID? Longer? For me, definitely longer. I am a responsible, disciplined, goal-oriented adult. It has been so long since I played that when people ask me what I ... Read More  

I have shared my life with cats for the last 30 years, and I could not imagine not having a feline companion at home. I adopted my first rescue cat in Harlem, when I was a student at Columbia ... Read More