How long have you been writing children’s literature and how many books have you traditionally published?

Okay, so you’re challenging my math skills! I began writing for publication about 1990 or 1991, after teaching and working for my alma mater. I was first published in magazines for children and adults and work‐for‐hire projects, which turned out to be a great training ground. I learned to pitch, write to a word count, and write to a deadline. So, by the time I submitted my first manuscripts to traditional publishers, I was ready!

I have 12 traditionally published books, with one on the way in 2026. I try to have several ideas going at the same time. Lately, I’ve averaged one book every 18 months to two years. Time will tell whether I ‐ and the market ‐ can maintain that pace.

Which, if any, of your books are your favorite?

That’s really like asking me to choose my favorite child. Generally, my “favorite” is the one I’m working on because it takes up all the space in my head.

Please define STEM in your own words.

Wow, I’ve never been asked this question before. We all know the acronym stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, but STEM is so much more. It encompasses the rules of nature‐not just ecology, but matter, motion, energy, space‐and how we engage with them. Why do ships float? Why is the sky blue? Why do we have seasons? How do corals reproduce? STEM applications and inventions riddle our lives ‐ washing machines, vaccines, mobile phones, the Internet, cancer treatments, bridges, automobiles, airplanes. You get the idea.

STEM is the discipline that pushes us to question, hypothesize, test, and re‐question. Sometimes we try to bend nature to our will, like when we erect sea walls to combat sea level rise. Other times we study nature to mimic its perfect design, like when we build wind turbine blades that mimic humpback whale fins.

The teacher in me made up the following two challenges:
#1: Ask the children in your life to list the ways they encounter STEM.
#2: Now ask the children, where would we be without STEM?

How do 1 or 2 of your books demonstrate these concepts?

Children’s books about STEM topics show readers what’s possible‐and hopefully encourage them to think beyond the book. In my many educator conference presentations, I’ve shown educators how STEM books can be used to integrate curriculum content areas because STEM touches every facet of our lives. Here are two examples:

Giant Rays of Hope: Protecting Manta Rays to Safeguard the Sea profiles Kerstin Forsberg and her nonprofit organization, Planeta Océano. Kerstin and her team developed an award‐winning approach involving the entire community, securing their buy‐in, and changing their behavior. Kerstin works with children, teachers, fishers, and business leaders to educate them about the functions our ocean performs for us. Their projects touch on all aspects of society, including beach clean‐ups, educating fishers about size limits for fish and providing small business training to start their own ecotourism businesses, helping children and youth identify conservation problems and propose solutions, and hosting manta parades and painting manta murals on the sides of buildings to build awareness.

Planeta Océano has tagged giant manta rays with radio transmitters to track them and understand their habits. They’ve worked with the government of Peru to officially protect manta rays, and they’ve launched an app that helps fishers locate mantas so they can avoid entangling the mantas in their nets.

Every aspect of Kerstin’s project is STEM in action, as it relates to government, education, culture, and art.

Similarly, A River’s Gifts tells the story of the Elwha River restoration in northwest Washington. The book is loaded with STEM ‐ the workings of the riparian habitat, the importance of salmon for the habitat, how a dam functions, how scientists from several disciplines collaborated to dismantle the dam and keep the river healthy as work progressed.

A River’s Gifts is also the story of the Strong People and how they relied on the river for their livelihood, their cultural traditions and songs, and their spirituality.

Readers learn that we cannot separate from nature‐we all have a role to play.

The curriculum integrations for these two books include science, math, social studies, government, art, and all the language arts (writing, speaking, reading). For specific examples, I invite you to download my educator guides for these books and others. Additionally, I have a video on my website of the bycatch simulation that goes along with Giant Rays of Hope (scroll down; on right side under ACTIVITY GUIDE).

What proof or experiences do you have that show children are actually learning valuable information from listening to or reading your STEM books?

During my author visits to schools, engagement is super high. I offer several hands‐on demos that feature science concepts, such as ocean acidification, ocean pollution, the sounds elephants make in the forest of Central Africa, trophic cascades, and giant manta ray feeding habits. My goal is to make the invisible visible, so children understand the problems.

At the same time, my books introduce readers to several people around the world developing solutions. These people act as civic role models for children and provide hope. We can’t expect a child to solve these complex problems, but we can empower them with information and the tools to generate ideas. For example:

After reading Sea Otter Heroes, a third grader contacted me to ask questions about returning sea otters to the waters near his home.

A librarian used Plastic, Ahoy! as a mentor text to increase plastic awareness in her entire school. Watch her video.

Kids all over Washington are reading A River’s Gifts in preparation for Towner Award voting.

Any new books or events on the horizon that you want to mention?

On April 1 of this year, Sharks Unhooked: The Adventures of Cristina Zenato, Underwater Ranger released. Cristina is a diver in the Bahamas who removes fishing hooks caught in sharks ‐ even their mouths. Illustrator Becca Hall uses a beautiful color palette or ocean blues to immerse readers in the sea. Watch the trailer for this remarkable story here.

In spring 2026, BEATRICE AND THE NIGHTINGALE releases, illustrated by the incomparable Isabelle Follath, and published by Margaret Quinlin and her eponymous imprint at Peachtree Press. This magical true story is about one moment in history when music, nature, and STEM work in harmony. I can’t wait for you to see it!

How can people purchase your books?

Please order my books from your favorite bookstore or Bookshop.org.

Any other comments?

Thank you for inviting me to appear on your blog, Kimberly!