Author of Children's Books
I was recently featured in an article for Bay Weekly called Books for Babies and Young Readers. I feel so honored to be part of these seven “Chesapeake Country” authors, including Mick Blackistone, Priscilla Cummings, Cindy Freland, Janie Suss, The Chesapeake Mermaid, and William Sells. Thanks so much Bill Sells for including me! Continue reading “Bay Weekly”
I had a wonderful time at the Waterfowl Festival in Easton, Maryland on Friday where I read from my books, Olly the Oyster Cleans the Bay and Olly’s Treasure. It was great to see kids having fun at the festival and learning about oysters and waterfowl on the Chesapeake Bay. Children also made stick puppets of Olly the Oyster to take home with them! A big thank you to Cathy Fawell for coordinating and making this event so special.
October marks the beginning of oyster season, a time when oysters are harvested by private and commercial fishermen, through to March of the next year. During the warmer months, oysters spawn and grow awaiting the next oyster harvest.
Oysters also provide a valuable service to the environment by filtering and cleaning the water! Olly the Oyster knows all about cleaning up the environment. For lesson plans and crafts that go along with Olly the Oyster Cleans the Bay, you can click on the image below. Or, go to OllytheOyster.com/KidsPage.
Also, you can visit me and buy my books at the Waterfowl Festival in Easton, Maryland on November 8, 2019 from 11:30 to 2:00 at the Easton Middle School. I will be reading my books and leading a craft activity for kids.
Celebrate National Oyster Day with Olly the Oyster, a little oyster who discovers his importance in filtering the water in the Chesapeake Bay where he lives. Ages 5 to 8, Schiffer Books.
For Lesson plans, click here.
For puzzles and coloring pages, click here.
To purchase a copy, click here.
Olly the Oyster Cleans the Bay, illustrated by the awesomely talented Kelli Nash, was first published by Tidewater Press eleven years ago today. Our amazing editor, Jonna Jones gave Olly a chance to see the world and we owe her many thanks! A year later it was picked up by Schiffer Books. It has been so much fun visiting schools and spreading the word about the importance of oysters! Since then two sequels have been published, Olly’s Treasure and Olly Explores 7 Wonders of the Chesapeake Bay, as well as a companion book, Mallory the Forgetful Duck, each highlighting the wonders and beauty of sea life along the Chesapeake Bay. Happy birthday Olly!
For an easy oyster craft activity, click here.
For a crossword puzzle with key vocabulary words, click here.
To find out where to buy a copy, click here.
To schedule an author visit, click here.
Happy Mother’s Day from Mallory the Forgetful Duck, a proud mama bird with a nest of beautiful ducklings. My own two little cuties are in the photo, wearing a white T-shirt and orange T-shirt. Hope you enjoy Mother’s Day with your families.
Mallory the Forgetful Duck. Ages 5 to 8, Schiffer Books.
For a fun craft activity making baby birds, click here.
For a word search puzzle, click here.
To find out where to buy, click here.
To schedule an author visit, click here.
The book trailer for Olly’s Treasure is here! I love this story because it is about the real treasures we have in oyster reefs as well as in our own friendships, community and environment.
Here is the full description…
After a brief hiatus from writing and blogging, I am looking forward to jumping back into the writing world! To that end, I have finally put together a book trailer for my book, Mallory the Forgetful Duck.
This story about a mama duck and her baby birds is one of my favorites. I came up with the story while rocking my baby to sleep in the middle of the night. With its message about mama birds and their eggs, it’s a great book for springtime as well as Mother’s Day which is coming up soon! Hope you enjoy the book trailer.
It has been a wonderful spring! Family activities have kept me very busy–maybe too busy! Between soccer practice, shopping for the school dance, volunteer work in the classroom and dealing with pollen allergies, it has been a wild ride. I have managed, however, to do a few author events in the past year, although writing projects have definitely taken a backseat. This includes writing for the blog which I have most definitely and sadly neglected. I plan to hold tight to the steering wheel however, and get back on track, starting now. Hopefully, there are smooth roads ahead. Okay, enough of the driving metaphors! Continue reading “Wonderful Spring”
The author workshop for Creating a Social Media Plan at the Annapolis Regional Library was a big success! As a group we discussed how to develop your brand as a writer, the essentials of a great website, and strategies for social media. Continue reading “Workshop at the Annapolis Regional Library”