Stories about valuing our natural world
WE ARE STARLINGS
​co-authored with Robert Furrow
illustrated by Marc Martin
2022 Random House
ISBN 9780593381632​
* Junior Library Guild Selection
* starred review SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL
* starred review HORN BOOK
* starred review PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
* nominated for 2024-2025 Volunteer State Book Award, Primary Division for the state of Tennessee
* New York Times Best Illustrated Books 2023
* Outstanding Science Trade Book 2024
* accepted into Society of Illustrators Original Art Show
* best books of 2023, THE MARGINALIAN
*Literary Awards Finalists 2024, Bookishly Delightful
*to be published in Korean by Yeoyoudang Publishing Co, Seoul
​​
​
​
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: ... stellar narrative nonfiction... great read aloud... stunning.
HORN BOOK: ...the rhythm of poetry and simple but accurate information...
BOOKLIST: A gorgeous introduction to a natural wonder.
BULLETIN FOR THE CENTER OF CHILDREN'S BOOKS: A wonder to behold.
NEW YORK TIMES: Any child who has ever been spellbound by these swooping, looping formations will delight in this book.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY:...starlings perform a fractal air ballet in this spare look at the species' movements...
IMAGINATION SOUP: ... The creators... capture the magical essence of these enchanting birds.
THE MARGINALIAN: The majesty and mystery of murmurations come alive with uncommon beauty...​​
MARA PLANTS A SEED
​
co-authored with Robert Furrow
illustrated by Melissa Bailey
2025 Science Naturally
ISBN 9781958629765
ISBN (ebook) 9781958629772
​
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY... idyllic floral-filled moments.. the emphasis on ecological interdependence offers readers an enduring takeway.
​
​
​
​
​
​
AS NIGHT FALLS:
CREATURES THAT GO WILD AFTER DARK
illustrated by Felicita Sala
2022 Random House
ISBN 9780593374290
​
* starred review PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
* Society of Illustrators Gold Medal Winner
*New York Times Best Illustrated Books 2023
* IMMAGINATION SOUP: 20 Best Books about Nocturnal Animals
HORN BOOK: …. this picture book in rhyme takes those still wide awake after dark on a frenzied tour through the nocturnal food chain... the whole family rallies for one last burst of play before the book comes to a quiet close.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: Napoli’s alliterative prose snaps like the jaws of its subjects as they “snicker snack"...
​
IMMAGINATION SOUP: …. playful and exuberant...
​
THE CROSSING
illustrated by Jim Madsen
2011 Simon & Schuster
ISBN 978-1-4169-9474-9
​
-
starred review PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY: ...poetic descriptions of the landscape and journey... a refreshing new angle ...
​
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: ...the sights, sounds, and smells of his incredible journey...a beautiful, atmospheric narrative that explores the possibilities of that momentous expedition [Lewis and Clark].
​
NEW YORK TIMES:
..poetic text and lush artwork tell an evocative story...
​
MAMA MITI: WANGARI MAATHAI
AND THE TREES OF KENYA
illustrated by Kadir Nelson
2010 Simon & Schuster
ISBN 978-1-41693-505-6
​
-
winner of the Anne Izard's Storytellers' Choice Award
-
winner of the Frances and Wesley Bock Book Award
-
Black-Eyed Susan Book Award list, Maryland Association of School Librarians
-
Elementary California Readers list for 2013
-
starred reviews KIRKUS & PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
-
nominated for the NAACP Image Award
-
Best Books of the Year list ESSENCE magazine
-
Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People
-
Amelia Bloomer Project Recommended List
-
used as the focal point for the Maryland Artist/Teacher Institute, summer 2013
-
part of the Pearson MyView 2017 K-5 Reading Program
-
25 Children’s Books to Nourish Curiosity by Food Tank
-
in Chinese (Chang-Tang Int. Publishing Co., Taichung, Taiwan ISBN 978-986-6347-25-2)
-
in Japanese (Suzuki, Tokyo ISBN 978-4-7902-5223-8)
-
in Spanish (Pearson, distributed by Savvas Learning Company)
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY:
breathtaking … a vivid portrait of the community from which Maathai's tree-planting mission grows.
From KIRKUS: …. This is, in a word, stunning
​
To hear the author reading the book, click here.
Above is a photo of children in Cura Orphanage (outside Nairobi) in Kenya, reading MAMA MITI. The orphanage (in 2011) cares for 50 children who have lost their parents to AIDS, providing safety, health, and a new family, full of hope.
