Welcome!
Hi, I'm Derick... thanks for stopping by!
Feel free to look around. You can find out some fun facts about me, read about my books, or learn about my educational initiatives. Check out the below photos and link to the associated pages to see how they are related. I'm a passionate nature-lover, so it's probably no big surprise that each photo contains four-legged, two-legged, or no-legged creatures.
Feel free to look around. You can find out some fun facts about me, read about my books, or learn about my educational initiatives. Check out the below photos and link to the associated pages to see how they are related. I'm a passionate nature-lover, so it's probably no big surprise that each photo contains four-legged, two-legged, or no-legged creatures.
I have some exciting news! My second picture book, titled Does a Bulldozer Have a Butt and illustrated by K-Fai Steele is slated for release from Chronicle Books on May 24th! And while silly, rhyming books don't always get a lot of love from editorial reviewers, we are so excited to have received a STARRED review from Publishers Weekly!
“The transgressively funny concept (plus plentiful puns and mentions of tush utility) will no doubt win over the target audience, but even more important is the portrait the book offers: one of a world in which questions serve as a common bond, curiosity is amply rewarded, and variety is the spice of life.”--Publishers Weekly, starred review
And my debut picture book, titled The Longest Letsgoboy and illustrated by the amazing Cátia Chien, is out now, and we are so fortunate to have received FOUR starred editorial reviews! See the below excerpts to find out what they had to say, and click HERE to discover a little more behind-the-scenes information about this and my other books!
“Stunning, tender, and brilliant. Readers will laugh and cry—but most of all love.”--Kirkus Reviews, starred review
“One not to be missed, this moving, visceral tale is a testament to the bond between a child and pet. Any person, young or old, who has experienced loss will find this essential purchase a profound comfort.”--School Library Journal, starred review
“[A]s genuinely doggy a narrative as ever there was . . . If there’s a dryeye in the house after this, check for a pulse.”--Booklist, starred review
“[The Longest Letsgoboy] is a perfect storm of tearjerk, with its supple poetry, canine narration, and picture of loss, but there’s a reassuring message about what we love remaining a part of us forever that youngsters may find find nearly as bolstering as the possibility of a new puppy.”--The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review
“One not to be missed, this moving, visceral tale is a testament to the bond between a child and pet. Any person, young or old, who has experienced loss will find this essential purchase a profound comfort.”--School Library Journal, starred review
“[A]s genuinely doggy a narrative as ever there was . . . If there’s a dryeye in the house after this, check for a pulse.”--Booklist, starred review
“[The Longest Letsgoboy] is a perfect storm of tearjerk, with its supple poetry, canine narration, and picture of loss, but there’s a reassuring message about what we love remaining a part of us forever that youngsters may find find nearly as bolstering as the possibility of a new puppy.”--The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred review
