Frequently Asked Questions

These are questions often asked of me after a presentation to children and adults.

How many children do you have?
I have four adult children, Anne, Christopher, Michael and Peter, and four grandchildren, Dylan, Charlotte and Eleanor (twins) and Michael, baby brother to the twins, born on December 11, 2003.

What pets do you have now?
Right now I do not have any pets because I travel too often and too far to care for them. At one time our family had a dog, three cats, two hermit crabs, a tank of tropical fish, two box turtles, one striped guinea pig, a French lop-eared rabbit and two green snakes.

When is your birthday?
I was born on March 21st, the first day of spring, in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

Did your parents like nature and writing?
Both of my parents loved nature, especially my Father. He also loved to read. My parents wanted me to write well in order to get good grades in school and get A’s on my assignments.

Since you are an artist, why don’t you illustrate your own books?
I stopped painting when I was 10 years old and have never gotten back to it. I think I could illustrate my own books with cut paper collage. I think now I would like to try to illustrate my own book some day with collage.

What is your favorite thing to do outdoors?
Explore in wild places as I write and photograph the habitat and its creatures. Saltwater beaches are my favorite places all year round, winter and summer, in blizzards and gales, and on perfect foggy days. I love to swim, walk along the shore investigating and collecting interesting things the waves wash up, and sometimes I love to just flop in the sand on my towel and read.

Now that I live in the Midwest, I miss my Cape Cod ocean home more than I can say. But here with my four grandchildren, I am playing golf, ice skating, investigating parks, the zoo, the science center and botanical garden with Dylan, Ellie, Charlotte, and Michael. Here I am having lots of fun, being an in-town grandmother, as I write my books, teach at a university, and give presentations.

Do you like cats?
Yes, and I love cats and dogs, and the rabbit and box turtles that we had. I finally got over my fear of frogs with the help of 10 year-old Luke, while on the dinosaur dig last summer.

Have you ever seen a real flamingo?
Oh yes! I saw a huge group of flamingos in a lovely park, and they all flew away at the same time. I have also seen thousands of Sandhill Cranes and geese take off, flying, and landing together.

Which of your own books do you like the best?
That’s a very hard question. I am very partial to "The Goodnight Circle" because it was my first published book, and proved to me that I could write. When the editor called and said, “Congratulations, you are an author,” I was as happy as a person could be, and very proud of myself. Now my name was really in the card catalog in a real library.

What is your favorite thing to do?
I love to look at things. I observe things carefully and with great delight and feeling as an artist, and with questioning curiosity as a scientist.

Do you have a favorite author?
In children’s books, Dr. Seuss is my favorite. William Saroyan, who wrote The Human Comedy, is my favorite adult author and that is one of my favorite books. I have many favorites because there are many fine writers and I love to read.

If you did not write, what would you do?
I have worked as an artist/designer with cloth creating fiber art. Now, I would like to illustrate my own books with cut paper and paint using very bright beautiful colors.

Do you answer all your emails from kids?
I am not a good email answerer. I prefer kids to contact me through their teacher. I wish I had the time to answer all my emails, but I am busy writing, speaking, and traveling, and there are simply not enough hours in the day to do everything I want to do.

Did you like to read when you were little?
No. I LOVED reading!

Do you read a lot of books?
I do read a lot of books. I love books. Right now I am so busy beginning to plan a book for teachers about writing...it is beginning to twirl in my mind and soon I will begin to write it down so I cannot read as much as I want. I would love to spend at least two to three hours a day reading if I could.

What kind of books to you like to read the best?
Mysteries, and books with intriguing topics, like bacteria in slimy caves, deep vents in the ocean, and anything to do with Antarctica. I especially love to read fine nature/science writing. I also love to read books that can teach me more about writing and poetry for its word-music pleasure.

How did you start writing?
Shortly after learning to read, I wanted to write books like the books my Father read to me. My grandmother sewed pieces of paper together so they looked like “real books”. I wrote short stories and drew pictures in these tiny books.

Why do you like to write?
I like to play with the sound and shape and meaning of words to show my readers what I see in my mind, feel in my heart, live in my life, and the beauty of places I have visited.

How did you get your first book published?
My first book, "The Goodnight Circle", was accepted by the first publisher I sent it to. I was directed to that publisher by my writing teacher who thought my manuscript would be a wonderful picture book.

How did you learn to write for children?
I read hundreds of books to my own four children. I took a course in children’s literature when I was in college and after my 40th birthday I took a class in writing for children.

Why did you choose non-fiction natural science to write about?
Because it satisfies my curiosity. I love to investigate nature and be outside in any weather to do my research.

Where is your favorite place you have ever done research?
In the Arctic, when I researched "Great Crystal Bear".

Do you ever use your own photographs in your books?
I have not done that as yet. However, I plan to use my own photographs in an adult book I am writing.

Where do your ideas come from?
Everywhere. Books I read, places I travel, people I meet, things I see and I feel. Ideas sometimes simply pop into my mind like thunder claps.

Did you ever win an award for one of your books?
Yes. My first book, "The Goodnight Circle", won an Award for Literacy Merit from the Friends of American Writers, Chicago, IL. The National Council of Teachers of Science and the Children’s Book Council listed it in the “50 Best Science Books for Children”. The award for literary merit was especially satisfying because the committee said they had never given an award to a picture book before, but considered my language literature, delighted I did not ‘talk down’ to children. (I feel that children are as smart as me…they are just shorter.) Another of my books, "Storm on the Desert", was chosen as one of seven books to be on the John Burroughs List of Nature Books for Young Readers in 1997, by the American Museum of Natural History in New York. I was so very pleased with that, because Ann Zwinger, who presented the awards said, “These are the people who got rained on. They went to see for themselves and then wrote about it, and their going made all the difference in the writing.”

What kind of books do you hope to write someday?
I hope to write books about marine biomes, the deep ocean, the Pacific coral reef, and marine creatures. I also hope to write books for adults, combining my poetry and photographs.

How long does it take to write a book?
Sometimes it takes only two weeks from start to finish. Others take a year or more. Each book has its own life.

How long does it take to research a book?
Sometimes it takes a year to do the research before I even start writing. My research always starts in a library. Then I like to travel to the place I’m writing about and interview scientists and naturalists who often become my friends. This is one of the real blessings in my life.

How can I get published?
Be a great reviser of your work. Find a unique idea or take an ordinary idea and write about it in a unique way – something fresh and new. After that, if it is non-fiction, you must do careful research so you write the absolute latest truth about the topic. The very best writing may have to be revised 20 times. Then use a market guide to find the publisher who is looking for what you have written.

When you do research, what do you take with you?
I always take a journal, great binoculars, a camera and lots of film, and my mascot, Emily Chickenson.

How do you get to remote places to do research?
This is one of my favorite parts about doing research. I love to fly in helicopters, be on a ship or a small boat, hike, travel by jeep, kayak, swim with fins and snorkel – whatever it takes to get me to the places I need to be. Camels, elephants and yaks included.

How do you remember your ideas?
I try to have a journal with me at all times. If not, I must write it on whatever is handy. My book, "Dig Hole, Soft Mole", was written on a paper towel with an eyebrow pencil because I got the idea while taking a shower and they were the only tools available! My ideas evaporate unless I write them down.

What is your favorite style of writing?
Poetry. I love the sound of words and lining them up on paper in interesting ways. Writing poetry feels like playing, singing, dancing and flying.

Have you ever written anything besides children’s books?
I have written articles for adult magazines, and educational essays when applying for fellowships. I am beginning to work on two adult books. I have also invented and written new curricula for schools and educational seminars.

Do you like to speak in front of big audiences?
I do. I love it. It is exciting to speak to a large group of people. I draw energy from all of my audiences. It satisfies the actress in me. I feel like a “Broadway Star”.

How can someone contact you to make an appearance?
I am always eager to talk with someone about an appearance. Please click here to view my contact information.