Rise to the Sky: An Interview with Author Rebecca E. Hirsch and Illustrator Mia Posada

Trees are the tallest living things on Earth. But how do they grow to be so tall? Science writer Rebecca E. Hirsch presents a poetic introduction to the tree life cycle in Rise to the Sky: How the World’s Tallest Trees Grow Up. Accompanied by Mia Posada’s detailed collage illustrations, this book features the tallest tree species from around the world, including the coast redwood, the Sitka spruce, and the giant sequoia.

Today Rebecca and Mia join us to talk about how they wrote and illustrated this masterful picture book. Read on to discover their hopes for young readers and download the free activity guide!

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A River’s Gifts: An Interview with Author Patricia Newman

The story of the Elwha River in Washington State is one of both environmental harm and restoration involving advocacy, persistence, cooperation, and hope. Author Patricia Newman and illustrator Natasha Donovan tell this story in the new nonfiction picture book A River’s Gifts: The Mighty Elwha River Reborn.

Patricia Newman joins us today to share how she discovered the Elwha River Restoration Project, her research process, and her hopes for young readers. Read on to download the free teaching guide.

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Washed Ashore: Interview with Author Kelly Crull

Plastic products are everywhere, from bottles to sandwich bags. The new photo picture book Washed Ashore: Making Art from Ocean Plastic combines biology and art to show young readers how so many of these plastic products end up in the ocean after use. Each spread features a sculpture created completely from ocean trash by artist and Washed Ashore founder Angela Haseltine Pozzi.

Both colorful and fun, author and photographer Kelly Crull has written an informative and powerful call to action for young readers to be active participants in saving the ocean. Read on to discover his inspiration, research process, and more. Don’t forget to download the free educator resource!

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