My Books
While I’ve been writing since I was a child, it was a long and winding path to becoming a children’s book author, with fulfilling stops along the way in technology, coaching, and education. But I can honestly say that being a writer is the most rewarding thing I've done
I Made These Ants Some Underpants! was released by Chronicle Books in 2023. This rhyming, humorous follow-up to Does a Bulldozer Have a Butt? was once again illustrated by K-Fai Steele.
”No one will be able to look at the final illustration—of the bare-bottomed young narrator—without at least cracking…a smile. … Sure to have kids beside themselves with glee.” — Kirkus Reviews
“The humor in both the rhyming couplets and the watercolor-and-ink drawings is layered and delicious. This is both a delightful standalone and a strong companion piece to its
predecessor.” — Booklist
This humorous, rhyming tale revisits the same family as its predecessor, Does a Bulldozer Have a Butt?, and I was excited to again team with K-Fai Steele as the illustrator (she was kind enough to loosely base the dad and daughter on myself and my own now-teen, from when we met her in Charlotte). The story is about giving and a boy who, well, loves underpants! So he dons his creative hat to craft custom underpants for everything around him, from race cars to robots, and cowboys to clownfish. So, while the topic certainly has a silliness factor, the main character also chooses to demonstrate generosity…just in his own unique way!
You can order I Made These Ants Some Underpants! here:
You can order I Made These Ants Some Underpants! here:
Does a Bulldozer Have a Butt?, illustrated by K-Fai Steele was released by Chronicle Books in 2022! And while silly, rhyming books don't usually get much love, it was included on both the NY Public Library and Publisher's Weekly Best Books of 2022!
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“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 “The text is simple and stands out…[The illustrations are] really quite a feat…Yes, a bulldozer has a butt, in this comical read-aloud for children who love humor on the edge.” – School Library Journal “It’s positively cheeky!” --Booklist |
As you may have guessed by the title, this book could not be further removed from my debut. While I hope The Longest Letsgoboy touches readers’ hearts, this one is meant to tickle their funny bones. Illustrated by K-Fai Steele, it’s a rhyming romp that takes a lighthearted look at a most unlikely assortment of, well, butts. Along the way, we learn that each butt, from a zombie’s to a firefly’s, has its own distinctive, and distinctively humorous, quality!
This story was inspired by, of all people, my young child. While they are now a teen (which shows how slow this process can be), when they were only 4 years old, we were sitting behind a school bus at a stop light. They peeked out from their car seat, pointed, and excitedly exclaimed, “Look, Daddy, that school bus has a butt!” Indeed it did, and I began writing the story, and looking for butts in peculiar places, that day.
You can order Does a Bulldozer Have a Butt? here:
This story was inspired by, of all people, my young child. While they are now a teen (which shows how slow this process can be), when they were only 4 years old, we were sitting behind a school bus at a stop light. They peeked out from their car seat, pointed, and excitedly exclaimed, “Look, Daddy, that school bus has a butt!” Indeed it did, and I began writing the story, and looking for butts in peculiar places, that day.
You can order Does a Bulldozer Have a Butt? here:
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And you can download our activity kit for Does a Bulldozer Have a Butt?, including a Seek-N-Find page that's loaded with butts and a fun game, Stick the Butt on the Bulldozer!
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My debut picture book, The Longest Letsgoboy, illustrated by the amazing Cátia Chien, was named the Margaret Wise Brown Honor Book for 2021 and won the 2021 Crystal Kite Award, an honor voted on my fellow authors and illustrators, for the Southeast Region of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI).
In addition, it was on Kirkus' Best Books of 2021 list and received FOUR different starred editorial reviews!
In addition, it was on Kirkus' Best Books of 2021 list and received FOUR different starred editorial reviews!
“Stunning, tender, and brilliant. Readers will laugh and cry—but most of all love.”--Kirkus Reviews, 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
“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
“[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
“[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
“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
“[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
This circle-of-life tale, illustrated by the amazing Catia Chien, is a testament to the enduring bond between people and their pets. It’s told from the perspective of an aging dog who knows he’s on his last letsgoboy, or walk in the woods, with his little girl. But before leaving he wants to bid farewell to his friends and make sure she will be taken care of.
This personal, semi-autobiographical story is based on Lakota, one of my Siberian huskies. He and Kaya, another husky, would often sit at my feet while I wrote on the back patio. One day, Lakota, who was already 14 years old at the time, got up and slowly began walking. I joined him, as we made our way along the edge of the woods that surround the yard. I felt like he was saying goodbye to everything around him. So I substituted my daughter as the main character and tried to put myself in Lakota's dog-world to try to figure out what he would be thinking…and The Longest Letsgoboy was born.
You can order The Longest Letsgoboy here
This personal, semi-autobiographical story is based on Lakota, one of my Siberian huskies. He and Kaya, another husky, would often sit at my feet while I wrote on the back patio. One day, Lakota, who was already 14 years old at the time, got up and slowly began walking. I joined him, as we made our way along the edge of the woods that surround the yard. I felt like he was saying goodbye to everything around him. So I substituted my daughter as the main character and tried to put myself in Lakota's dog-world to try to figure out what he would be thinking…and The Longest Letsgoboy was born.
You can order The Longest Letsgoboy here
