Posts Tagged conservation

Make an Impact on the World! — Book Giveaway

By on August 12, 2022   /   Articles, New Releases  

It’s easy to get caught up in the negativity that seems to be prevalent in the world lately.

Sometimes we may even struggle to have hope.

Hope that things will change.

Hope that we will have a better tomorrow.

Hope that we can make a difference.

 

As the saying goes in Ted Lasso, “It’s the hope that kills you.”

Of course, Ted, as the eternal optimist, rebels against that and instead focuses on one word:

                                                     BELIEVE

And yet, one wonders–How can I- one person- make a difference?

Is that even possible?

                                                                  YES! 

That idea is of my new book, Footprints Across the Planet (Reycraft Books)

Footprints Across the Planet book

 

You are already making an impact on the planet, each time you take a step.

Like you, every being on the planet leaves an imprint

with their feet

their words

their actions.

 

@Reycraft Books

@ReycraftBooks

Image from Footprints Across the Planet Book

@ReycraftBooks

 

 

Whether human or animal, voices or activity, each mark has a purpose.

To remind us of our history, give us a glimpse of our future, and maybe even inspire us to change the world.

 

@ReycraftBooks

 

 

@ReycraftBooks

 

So how can YOU do this? How can we help kids to do this?

 

Start small.

When we try to tackle a big problem, that is the best way to start.

While no one can solve all of the problems, try taking just one step.

When taken in the right direction, it makes a world of difference.

 

And understand that just like every living being on this planet, you ARE making an impact with every step you take.

 

So the next time you see a child– or an adult– overwhelmed with life, encourage them to just take one step.

Towards kindness

Towards acceptance

Toward happiness

THAT will be their impact on the world and it will be amazing!

 

Leave your mark below and tell me what type of steps you take by sharing what kind of shoes you wear and you’ll be entered to WIN a FREE copy of this book for all ages.

(I’ll go first, I wear running shoes).

*** Update– Congrats to Eric Fischer for winning a copy of my new book!***

Back to Top

STEM Tuesday All About Conservation – Interview with Author Nancy Castaldo

By on April 24, 2018   /   Author Interviews, Conservation, Diversity, Giveaways, New Releases, STEM Tuesday  

Welcome to STEM Tuesday: Author Interview & Book Giveaway, a repeating feature for the fourth Tuesday of every month. Go Science-Tech-Engineering-Math!

Today we’re interviewing author Nancy Castaldo who wrote this month’s featured conservation book, Back from the Brink: Saving Animals from Extinction.

Find out how seven different animal species from around the world were saved from extinction by hard-working scientists and environmental activists in this book. Nancy Castaldo has used her experience as an environmental educator to create award-winning books about our planet for over 20 years including her 2016 title, The Story of Seeds: From Mendel’s Garden to Your Plate, and How There’s More of Less To Eat Around The World, which earned the 2017 Green Earth Book Award, Junior Library Guild Selection, and other honors. Nancy’s research has taken her all over the world from the Galapagos to Russia. She loves sharing her excitement about nonfiction with readers and fellow writers. Visit her at nancycastaldo.com, on Twitter at @NCastaldoAuthor, or on Instagram at @naturespeak.

Mary Kay Carson: How did this book come about?

Nancy Castaldo: When I was young I had nightmares of creatures going extinct. I was terrified of losing any endangered species. I still am, but I know that my younger self needed to see hope and learn about the helpers. I wanted to give those stories to my readers. I wanted them to see that we all can make a difference, that every endangered species doesn’t go extinct because of the helpers. And that no matter where you live or how old you are, we all have the ability to join in the bucket brigade. I hope that Back from the Brink does that for my readers.

MKC: Could you share some highlights of doing research for Back from the Brink? 

Nancy: Every place I visit for research and photography has been life changing for me. This book, like the others for Houghton Mifflin such as Sniffer Dogs and The Story of Seeds, has taken me to places I only dreamed of visiting. I am a herper at heart, meaning I love reptiles and amphibians. Spending time with the tortoises and marine iguanas in the Galapagos was heaven. Another favorite experience was spending time with the dedicated California condor researchers in the Sespe Wilderness area. Part scientist and part adventurer, these biologists work tirelessly to conserve the condor population, despite continued threats to the birds from lead poisoning and micro-trash litter. It was a joy to enter their world.

MKC: Do you have a STEM background?

Nancy: I do have a STEM background. I completed a biology/chemistry double major in college and was president of the science club. At the same time I was also the co-editor of my college’s literary magazine. I was highlighted when I graduated in the college’s view book with the title, Creative Combinations. I’m still combining, having then went on to get a master’s that focused on children’s literature. Science, writing, and photography are all my passions. I love writing STEM books. I was a curious kid and I love writing for curious readers. I strive to inspire, inform, and empower my young readers because I believe they are our hope for the future. Our world needs them now more than ever.

Purchase Back from the Brink!

MKC: Any recommendations for fans of Back from the Brink?

Nancy: I’m hoping that readers will become inspired and empowered with the success stories in Back from the Brink and want to learn more about these creatures and other endangered species. There are many wonderful fiction and nonfiction books that can continue the experience. I’ve included many in the Learn More section of the book, including Dorothy Patent’s The Buffalo and the Indian, Farley Mowat’s Never Cry Wolf, and Jazynka Kitson’s Mission Wolf Rescue. While these books are great reads, I really hope that my readers will step out into the wild and discover some of these creatures first hand. I list places throughout the country for outdoor, natural sightings in my book.

Praise for Back from the Brink:

  • “[Castaldo] offers solid, meaningful suggestions for young readers […] including many, many learning opportunities: things to watch and read, organizations to investigate, websites and parks to explore. Challenging but important reading for the intended audience.”–Kirkus, STARRED review
  • “Readers will be moved by Castaldo’s appreciation for these animals.”–Booklist, STARRED review

Win a FREE copy of Back from the Brink!   Enter the giveaway by leaving a comment below. The randomly-chosen winner will be contacted via email and asked to provide a mailing address (within the U.S. only) to receive the book.

Good luck!

Hosting this week is Mary Kay Carson, fellow animal lover, science nerd, and author of Mission to Pluto and other nonfiction books for kids. @marykaycarson

 

SaveSave

SaveSave

Back to Top

STEM Tuesday All About Conservation– Book List

By on April 3, 2018   /   Book Lists, Conservation, For Librarians, Nonfiction, STEM Tuesday  

Scientists have said that we are experiencing the 6th great mass extinction in the history of our planet. WOW, that’s scary, especially for kids! But, thankfully, we have many people of all backgrounds, from scientists to kids in elementary schools, focusing attention to conservation. So, this month we not only celebrate Earth Day, but books that highlight  the science of conservation and how readers can help preserve our environment.

Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.orgWhale Quest: Working Together to Save Endangered Species by Karen Romano Young
Young readers will discover how threats to whale populations are being addressed by cetologists, researchers, and citizen scientists.

 

Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.orgThe Park Scientists: Gila Monsters, Geysers, and Grizzly Bears in America’s Own Backyard by Mary Kay Carson
In this Scientists in the Field title readers will meet the scientists who call the National Parks their laboratory as they study grizzly bears, cactus, and fireflies.

Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.org Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.org

Plastic, Ahoy! Investigating the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and Zoo Scientists to the Rescue by Patricia Newman and Annie Crawley
This author/photographer duo’s titles bring conservation to life for young readers. Plastic, Ahoy! [Green Earth Book Award] investigates ocean conservation and the serious problem of plastic waste. Zoo Scientists to the Rescue introduces readers to the behind-the-scenes conservation that is going on in our nation’s zoos.

Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.orgEyes Wide Open: Going Behind the Environmental Heaedlines by Paul Fleischman
Newbery Medal author Paul Fleischman takes readers behind the environmental headlines in this title to explain the concepts that drive events and attitudes about the environment–politics, money, denial, history, psychology, activism. It’s all here in an easy-to-understand format that Fleischman hopes will spur readers to act .

Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.orgBack from the Brink: Saving Animals From Extinction by Nancy Castaldo
In her latest title, Castaldo demonstrates through stories of seven species that we all can join together to make a difference and rescue wildlife from the brink of extinction.

Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.orgUltimate Oceanpedia: The Most Complete Ocean Resource Ever  by Christine Wilson
As the title suggests, this book is chock full of information for any budding marine biologist. Readers will travel through all parts of the ocean to understand how it affects our world.

Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.orgGeoengineering Earths Climate: Re-setting the Thermostat by Jennifer Swanson Even if we all agree that the Earth is warming, we probably won’t all agree on what might fix it. This book offers readers a solution.

 

Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.org Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.org
Bee conservation books, including The Hive Scientists: Chronicle of a Honey Bee Catastrophe by Loree Griffin Burns and The Case of the Vanishing Honeybees: A Scientific Mystery by Sandra Markle
These two titles offer insight into pollinator conservation, which is so important to our plants and our food security.

And for good measure we’ve tossed in a couple of great eco-fiction titles too!

Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.orgForest World by Margarita Engle
A beautiful verse novel from Poet Laureate Margarita Engle about a Cuban-American boy’s first trip to Cuba. He meets a sister he doesn’t know he has. The two children create a fake butterfly to their cryptozoologist mother will come to visit, but their message is intercepted by poachers. Engle creates a wonderful story of family and they jungle they love.

Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.orgSaving Wonder by Mary Knight
Set in the Appalachian Mountains, Saving Wonder tells the story of Curley Hines, who must speak out against Big Coal to save his mountain. Green Earth Book Award

 

Support Independent Bookstores - Visit IndieBound.orgEndangered by Eliot Schrefer
A compelling tale of a young girl who must save herself and bonobos from a violent coup. Schrefer introduces readers to a wonderful ape sanctuary  in the Congo threatened by revolutionaries.

 

As always we welcome your additional book suggestions and comments about how you are using these books with children. To date, we’ve featured books on the following themes:  zoology, science in fiction, exploration, wild and wacky science, and field work. Click on our STEM Tuesday link to read these past posts.

STEM Tuesday book lists prepared by:

Nancy Castaldo has written books about our planet for over 20 years including her 2016 title, THE STORY OF SEEDS: From Mendel’s Garden to Your Plate, and How There’s More of Less To Eat Around The World, which earned the Green Earth Book Award and other honors. Nancy’s research has taken her all over the world from the Galapagos to Russia. She enjoys sharing her adventures, research, and writing tips. She strives to inform, inspire, and educate her readers. Nancy also serves as the Regional Advisor of the Eastern NY SCBWI region. Her 2018 title is BACK FROM THE BRINK: Saving Animals from Extinction. www.nancycastaldo.com

Patricia Newman writes middle-grade nonfiction that inspires kids to seek connections between science, literacy, and the environment. The recipient of  a Sibert Honor Award for Sea Otter Heroes and the Green Earth Book Award for Plastic, Ahoy!, her books have received starred reviews, been honored as Junior Library Guild Selections, and included on Bank Street College’s Best Books lists. During author visits, she demonstrates how her writing skills give a voice to our beleaguered environment. Visit her at www.patriciamnewman.com.

Check back every Tuesday of every month:

  • Week 1:  STEM Tuesday Themed Book Lists
  • Week 2:  STEM Tuesday in the Classroom
  • Week 3:  STEM Tuesday Crafts and Resources
  • Week 4:  STEM Tuesday Author Interviews and Giveaways

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

Back to Top