© Loree Griffin Burns


The lovely and talented writer-women who produce The 4:00 Book Hook, a free e-mail newsletter for people who share books with kids, recommended my blog to their readers in the September newsletter.

Thank you Book Hookers!

(Wait a second. That doesn’t sound good.)

Thank you, lovely and talented writer-women who produce The 4:00 Book Hook!

(Not much better.)

Anyway, the recommendation reminded me that I have a blog, and that it has been sorely neglected this past month as I vacationed, gardened, and prepared for the upcoming school year. Clearly it’s time to get back on the blog wagon (the blagon?).

The first order of business, of course, is to encourage all of you to subscribe to The 4:00 Book Hook. Doing so is simple (see instructions here) and FREE. You can view back issues (totally worth doing) at the same website. Each month, The Book Hook reviews fiction and non-fiction for young people of any age, and provides teachers and parents with marvelous ideas for linking books with real-life experiences.

The second order of business? Crickets. Katydids. Cicadas. Have you stuck your head outside after dark these past few days? Where I live, doing so is a lesson in night life and biodiversity. If you concentrate just a little bit, you can easily pick out a dozen unique insect calls. My daughter and I have been making a study of these sounds, and of the singers themselves, ever since she found a dead Lyric Cicada in the front yard. (Yes, that's our dead inspiration in the photo above!) Anyway, we’ve found some very cool resources, and I’d like to share them here.

So stay tuned.

(But be patient!)

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© Ellen Harasimowicz

So. So so so.

Whatcha been up to?

I've been busy working on a new book idea. In fact, I put the finishing touches on the first draft of my proposal this morning. And I kinda really love it. Yes, I do. Here's hoping that my writing peeps do, too. And my collaborator. And my agent. And, eventually, my editor. It's a book about a certain beetle that has been wreaking havoc and breaking hearts in my neck of the woods, the dreaded Asian Longhorned Beetle. My working title is BEETLE BUSTER. (I'm out in the woods practicing my own beetle busting skills in the picture above.)

I've also been thinking about my next-into-the-bookstore book, which will be published by Henry Holt in spring 2012. I'm anticipating notes from my editor soon and hope to be finalizing the text and photo selections in the coming months. This makes me very happy. There is, however, a tiny glitch: the title. As in, I just can't come up with one! I've tried a few thousand possibilities (here's one), I've made lists, I've consulted friends, I've asked kids in schools and libraries across the state ... and, still, nothing. But last night, just before bed, I had an idea. I jotted it down.

And this morning, I still liked it. This is a good sign.

So ... some background:

The book is about citizen science, that is, science done by kids and families and school groups and adults who are interested in observing the world around them. Professional scientists need our help on so many projects, and this book explores four of them in (what I hope is) irresistible detail. It needs a great title, something friendly, enticing, memorable, and representative of the projects inside.

So ... a possibility:

BIRDING, FROGGING, TAGGING, SPOTTING: A YEAR OF CITIZEN SCIENCE
By Loree Griffin Burns
Photographs by Ellen Harasimowicz
Henry Holt, 2012


Soooooo ... what do you think? I'd really like to know.

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Do you remember that scene in the Pixar movie The Incredibles when Dash, the superhero son, having just escaped evil villains and near death while trying to save his father, splays his arms wide, throws back his head and screams “That was TOTALLY WICKED!” before falling backwards onto the bed behind him? I have always loved that scene … and I totally lived it last night.

There were no evil villains, of course, or even near-death experiences. In fact, it was a ho-hum Loree sort of evening: I visited a public library to talk with patrons about TRACKING TRASH. (I don’t find this sort of thing ho-hum at all, mind you, but I think Dash and his Incredible family would.)

Anyhow, the library was in Melrose, Massachusetts. I didn’t grow up in Melrose, but my cousins did, and that means I spent lots and lots of time there. Visiting MPL felt a bit like coming home. Even more so when friendly faces from my past began to show up. My oldest and dearest friend in this world was there, along with her son … and they sat with my daughter and smiled at me all night. That was cool.

And then there was Marion, who knew me when I was my daughter’s age. I cannot for the life of me remember Marion, but she remembered me. She brought a Thank You card that I wrote to her thirty years ago (!), and a photograph that nearly brought me to tears. Check it out:

That’s me and my sister on our first day of school many, many years ago. Oh, those outfits! The macramé plant hangers! That little linen purse!

The rest of the crowd were strangers to me, but they were some of the most attentive, interesting, and curious folks I’ve ever met. They participated at every turn, shared observations, made comments, laughed when I attempted being funny and, best of all, hung out after the talk to buy books, chit-chat, and tell me a bit about Melrose today.

Anyway, you may not get the full effect from this little blog post, but my night at Melrose Public Library was spectacular. We got home very late and I tucked my overtired daughter into bed straightaway. But then I looked at that photograph some more (Oh, those lime green curtains!) and thought about the many Saturdays I spent thumbing through magazines at the Melrose Drug Store with my cousins. I thought about old friends and new friends and leaving home and returning home. Eventually I threw out my arms, tilted back my head and screamed “That was TOTALLY WICKED!”

Then I crashed into bed and fell asleep.

True story.

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© Ellen Harasimowicz


Bah!

Juggling summertime and working and blogging is proving nearly impossible for me this year. I'm not sure why, but I suspect it has to do with the garden villains foiling my bean beds (rabbits! groundhogs!) and the bushels of zucchini overflowing our kitchen (why don't the garden villains eat zucchini?). Anyway, I'm putting the rabbits and the groundhogs out of my head this morning so I can update you on the fabulousness that was last Saturday's Searching for Lost Ladybugs program at Wachusett Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary in Princeton, Massachusetts.

Longtime readers know that I have written a book on citizen science (coming from Henry Holt in spring 2012) that includes an introduction to the Lost Ladybug Project (LLP), and that this work has turned me into a devoted ladybug hunter. My kids and I conduct regular ladybug surveys around central Massachusetts, and last weekend we welcomed a handful of families into the uber-cool world of ladybugging.

It was insanely hot on Saturday, but eighteen stalwart spotters-to-be showed up anyway. After a brief overview of the ladybug life cycle and the mission of the LLP, we set out for the nearest milkweed meadow with sweep nets on our shoulders and clamshell collection boxes in our hands. In fifty minutes of searching, we found 23 ladybugs representing seven different species. In fact, we found more native species than invasive species, which is quite encouraging. (If you are interested, you can see our data here; look for the photos dated 07/17/2010.)

The highlight of the morning was the collection of a gorgeous ladybug pupa from the field. We put it in a collection box so that we could take a photograph later, but before we did, the adult ladybug emerged. A handful of us got to watch in awe as a brandy-new adult Cycloneda munda crawled out into the world! Check out Her Newness:



© Loree Griffin Burns


It is NOT too late to become a ladybugster yourself, so if any of the above interests you, get yourself over to the LLP website for tips on how to get started. And feel free to leave questions in the comments below.

Happy spotting!

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“If I had influence with the good fairy who is supposed to preside over the christening of all children I should ask that her gift to each child in the world be a sense of wonder so indestructible that it would last throughout life...”

Rachel Carson
A SENSE OF WONDER

I read this essay for the first time today, and it gave me strength. Strength to dig in, to lean harder in the endless tug-of-war between Things To Do and Time to Be Quiet. It also gave me strength to shut down my computer and head out into a cool drizzle for a midday hike.

Ahhhhhhh.

That felt good.

And, as if that weren't good enough, I found me some mushrooms ...
















All photos © Loree Griffin Burns


Here's hoping you found some time to wonder today, too!

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They've bloomed! They've bloomed! Our Lemon Queen Sunflowers have finally bloomed! And that means the kids and I can begin tracking bees for The Great Sunflower Project. Here's a peek at our very first recorded visitor, a carpenter bee:

© Loree Griffin Burns

Isn't she a beauty? Sorta makes me want to grill up some burgers and set off some fireworks!

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Milkweed blooming at Wachusett Meadow
© Loree Griffin Burns



I usually take the summer off, but not this year. I’ll be visiting a handful of public libraries to talk about my books, and also running a hands-on introduction to the Lost Ladybug Project at my local Audubon sanctuary. The library events are free and open to the public, and I’ve included a description of the Audubon event, including the associated fees. I hope some of you can join us!


Tuesday, July 6, 2010
6:30 pm
Richards Memorial Library
44 Richards Avenue
Paxton, MA


Thursday, July 8, 2010
10:15 am
Conant Public Library
4 Meetinghouse Hill Road
Sterling, MA


Saturday, July 17, 2010
1:00-3:00pm
Wachusett Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary
113 Goodnow Road
Princeton, MA

Program Fees:
Adults: $6.00 Members, $8.00 Nonmembers
Children: $3.00 Members, $4 Nonmembers

Program Descrption:
Scientists at The Lost Ladybug Project are searching for rare native ladybug species, and you can help find them. Spend a few hours brushing up on ladybug biology, learning to identify common and rare species, and documenting ladybugs at Wachusett Meadow ... then go home and survey the ladybugs living in your backyard. Bring sharp eyes and a digital camera, if you have one.


Thursday, July 22, 2010
7:00 pm
Groton Public Library
99 Main Street
Groton, MA


Wednesday, July 28, 2010
7:00 pm
Melrose Public Library
69 West Emerson Street
Melrose, MA

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All photos © Loree Griffin Burns


In 2008, a resident of Worcester found some strange looking beetles in her yard ... and life in this part of Massachusetts has not been the same since. More than twenty-seven thousand beetle-infested trees have been removed from our landscape, and thousands more are being treated with chemicals to curb movement of the beetle. At risk is the entire northeastern hardwood forest, and scientists and foresters are taking a hard stand here in Worcester. It's a fascinating story, scary and worrisome and a little bit amazing. After a day of field research last week, I'm realizing this story is different from--harder than--any other I've ever written about, because it's close to home. Very close to home.

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Oh, my, how I loved this darn inchworm. (Perhaps this was the beginning of my fascination with insects?) I came across this photo while searching for pictures of me when my name was still Loree Ann.

Why was I looking for such pictures?

Because my blippety-blurb has just gone live on the TeachingBooks.Net Author Pronunciation Guide website. That’s right, when kids are online trying to find out how to pronounce Jon Scieszka, Jarrett J. Krosoczka, and Deborah Heiligman … they can now find, um, me. (This cracks me up.)

So, if you’ve always wondered how to pronounce my name, or if you’re wondering what happened to the “Ann” bit, or if you'd just like to giggle at my formal recording voice (do I really sound like that?), surf on over and give a listen!

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© Loree Griffin Burns


Colleen Mondor has put up a new post in her "What A Girl Wants" series, and it is a Must Read. The question this month is simple: what books of nonfiction do you wish your seventeen-year-old self could have read? There are some new women nonfiction writers on the panel (Tanya Lee Stone! Pamela S. Turner!) and you should check out what they and the other panelists have to say on the topic. Have a pad and pencil handy.

(And when you do, you'll know why I have decorated this post with that gnarly beetle up there.)

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© Loree Griffin Burns


1. Not blogging. Clearly.

2. Preparing for a new field adventure, this time with a beetle buster. Details soon.

3. Playing beetle buster at home, in my garden*. They. Will. Not. Win.

4. Slowing life down for the duration of our summer break. This is not as easy as it sounds.

5. Smiling over this.


Hope you're up to some good stuff, too!



* I took the photograph above in my garden. Lovely looking eggs, no? Sadly, they hatch out maniacal plant-eating potato beetle larvae, so I had no choice but to squish them to bits.

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Happy Book Release Day to my friend, Eric Luper!

I was lucky enough to watch SETH BAUMGARTNER'S LOVE MANIFESTO grow from an idea in Eric's (crazy awesome) brain into an irresistable young adult novel that is generating lotsa buzz in the publishing world.

In celebration of the book's release, Eric is holding a crazy awesome contest. Entering is simple, winners will be announced daily, and you just might walk away with a signed copy of Eric's book AND an iPod shuffle. All you have to do is visit Eric's blog and submit one eensy, weensy haiku.

Go you!

Go Eric!

Go SETH BAUMGARTNER'S LOVE MANIFESTO!









© Loree Griffin Burns

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Rosy Maple Moth
© Loree Griffin Burns


I have a few public appearances this month that I wanted to mention here. Actually, I meant to mention them a week ago, since the first event is tonight. I'm sorry! But if you live near Harvard, Massachusetts or Manchester, Vermont, and are inclined to listen to me babble about bees, please feel free to stop in ...



Thursday, June 3 at 6:30pm
Harvard Public Library
4 Pond Road
Harvard, MA
Please join Harvard resident Ellen Harasimowicz and Loree Griffin Burns as they share their new children's book, The Hive Detectives: Chronicles of a Honey Bee Catastrophe. Loree is also the author of Tracking Trash: Flotsam, Jetsam, and the Science of Ocean Motion. Loree and Ellen will talk about the bee adventures they experienced while creating the book, show some images from the book, answer questions, and conclude with a book signing.




Sunday, June 6 at 1pm
Hildene – The Lincoln Family Home
1000 Hildene Road
Manchester, Vermont 05254
Author and scientist, Loree Griffin Burns (The Hive Detectives) will lead an interactive program appropriate for ages 8 to adult in the Welcome Center Beckwith Room. It will end at the observation hive and will be followed by a booksigning. Registration is strongly recommended. $3 per person. Members are Free.

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MYCELIUM RUNNING,
How Mushrooms Can Help Save the World
By Paul Stamets
Ten Speed Press, 2005

Category: Nonfiction for Grown-ups

About a month ago, I picked a book that had been sitting on my desk for more than a year, MYCELIUM RUNNING, and finally started reading. Within days, the Deepwater Horizon exploded and oil from below the Earth’s crust began pouring into the Gulf of Mexico. Serendipitous, that, because while my mind has since grappled with the enormity of the disaster in the Gulf—massive amounts of oil and massive amounts of dispersants pouring and shooting into our oceans—I have been saved from complete despair by the calm and practiced thoughts of a mushroom man.

Paul Stamets is a mycologist, a mushroom scientist. He hunts them around the world, cultures them for fun and profit, and slowly, over the course of thirty years, has come to realize that mushrooms—more specifically, the network of cells that grow underground beneath them, called a mycelium—can help us save and restore the planet. How? By filtering contaminants from groundwater (a process called mycofiltration), restoring old growth forests (mycoforestry), cleaning up pollutants, including oil, from the environment (mycoremediation), and controlling insect pests (mycopesticides). In MYCELIUM RUNNING, Stamets explores all these topics, collectively called mycorestoration, and shares convincing experiments that indicate he just might be onto something.

I’ll admit to being unsettled by Stamets’ claim that mushrooms (and their mycelium) are sentient organisms ... but I also have to admit to feelings of complete elation when a flush of mushrooms appeared in my front yard after a rainstorm last week (I posted a photo of these lovelies yesterday). I recommend MYCELIUM RUNNING to anyone up for an in-depth look at the world of mushrooms and environmental restoration. If you’d rather a brief overview of Stamets work and ideas, check out:

his TED lecture;
his thoughts on the Gulf oil spill;
and his Fungi Perfecti website.

I'd love to hear what you think. Or see pictures of the mushrooms in your backyard. Or know how YOU are dealing with news from the Gulf ...

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© Loree Griffin Burns


Yes, mushrooms. More soon ...

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© Loree Griffin Burns


Don’t you just love this little one’s enthusiasm? She’s wearing my bee suit and reading my book at the same time!^*

Ellen and I hosted our final book launch/library fundraiser last night at the Gale Free Library in Holden, Massachusetts. We shared stories from our years of working on THE HIVE DETECTIVES together, and the audience shared with us their enthusiasm for honey bees, locally grown foods, libraries, and reading. It was an amazing evening, made even more special to me by the presence of my sister, my college physics professor, my garden mentor, old friends, new friends, and so very many of the people who make my life the honey-sweet ride that it is. Thank you all so much for coming … and for helping us to raise $209.62 for one of my favorite community libraries.

And, so, launch season is over. No more bee cookies to bake, no more books to schlep, no more crowds to entice. But that doesn’t mean I am done talking about THE HIVE DETECTIVES. (Sorry, dudes!) I’ve got some people to thank and to spotlight, and I plan to do that here in the coming weeks. So stay tuned.

In the meanwhile, have a Happy Memorial Day!



* Of course, she’s my daughter. But still …

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... in support of honey bees!






Seriously? The people running Haagen-Dasz Help the Honeybees campaign know how to make a public service announcement. (Remember this kickin' video?) Many thanks to John Skiotis, who is helping to spread the buzz by keeping my Inbox full of honeybee groove!

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More good things happening to good people and their great books ...

The Audio Publisher's Association has chosen OPERATION YES by Sara Lewis Holmes as the best 8-12 year-old children's audiobook of 2010. You can hear a clip of the prize-winning audio, read by Jessica Almasy here. Even if you've already read this one, folks, consider listening to it again!

Congratulations, Sara! Nice work, Jessica!

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Last night the Beaman Memorial Library in West Boylston, Massachusetts helped Ellen Harasimowicz and I launch our new children's book, THE HIVE DETECTIVES into the world. It was a marvelous event, chock full of book lovers and library supporters and beekeepers and good, good friends from all the many parts of my life.

THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING!

My photographers for the evening are not fully grown yet (read: short!), and so my memories of the night will always have a unique point of view. Like this (almost side) view of the snack table:


© Catherine Griffin Burns

and this (definitely side) view of the books for sale:


© Samuel Griffin Burns

But somewhere along the way, folks lifted my little ones up (as good friends tend to do), and they captured images I'll treasure always, like signed books:


© Catherine Griffin Burns

and the gorgeous floral wishes of my friends the Flaherty's:


© Samuel Griffin Burns

and smiles shared with Ellen Harasimowicz and Mary Duane, who helped to make this book buzz:


© Benjamin Griffin Burns


Today I have the pleasure of driving back to the library to deliver a check for $379.76, which represents the funds we raised through book sales last night. Thank you, dear friends, for supporting us, and our book, and one of my favorite local libraries!

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© Loree Griffin Burns


Did you know that there are birds that sing at night? Me either. But last night I slipped into bed beside my open bedroom window, hoping to hear some frogs, and instead heard a bird. Singing. Incessantly. At 11:30pm!

I listened for a good twenty minutes, head pressed up against the screen, ears stretching out into the front yard. I tried to describe the singing in my notebook, so that I could look into the strangeness come morning, but it seemed there were six (or more?) distinct calls/songs. They all came from the same direction, and I had the feeling it was a single (confused?) bird.

Eventually I fell asleep, and this morning I asked Google who might have been singing outside my window last night. The answer: a Northern Mockingbird.

I’d be tempted to do something silly, like head out tonight and capture some audio for you, but I’m off to the New England Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators conference for the weekend. You’ll have to use your imagination. Or check out this treasure trove of Northern Mockingbird information from the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology (including audio and video!). Or, if you’re feeling crazy, stay up late, step out onto your front porch, and listen. Mockingbirds are found pretty much everywhere in the United States ... maybe there’s one looking for love outside your window, too?

Happy weekend!

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ALBERT EINSTEIN
By Kathleen Krull
Illustrated by Boris Kulikov
Viking, 2009

Category: Middle Grade Biography

It has been far too long since I blogged about a book love here. And while all the things that have been keeping me from doing so hold—my writing life is crazy busy and my family life is crazier busier—I had to make time today to shout about Kathleen Krull’s ALBERT EINSTEIN. It’s a must read, I think, for kids anyone with an interest in Mr. Albert Einstein.

We all know the man was a genius; his name has actually become synonymous with the term. And most people realize he devised the formula E=mc². But do you know what this formula means? or how Einstein came to it? or why it turned the world of physics on its head? Do you know what the photoelectric effect is? or how one might prove the existence of atoms? or that Albert Einstein explained both in the very same year he devised his Theory of Relativity?

Now, thanks to Kathleen Krull, there is a perfectly understandable and completely enjoyable overview of the man, his life ... and his work. Everything the layperson needs to know about Einstein and his contribution to theoretical physics explained succinctly in 134 pages of a children’s biography. What’s not to love about that?

Breezy writing, historical details, and rock solid scientific content are the hallmarks of all the titles in Krull's ‘Giants of Science’ series. I highly recommend LEONARDO DA VINCI, ISAAC NEWTON, MARIE CURIE, and SIGMUND FREUD, too.

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© Loree Griffin Burns




© Loree Griffin Burns

I could also show you what's up in my office, but its not nearly so photogenic. Nor as bursting-with-promise. Yet.

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Ladybug season has officially begun! My daughter and I celebrated yesterday with our first 2010 ladybug survey...

Sweeping the meadow





Exploring the haul





Cycloneda polita (polished ladybug)





Harmonia axyridris (Asian multi-colored ladybug)




Recording our discoveries



Intrigued? Find out more at the Lost Ladybug Project website.




All photos © Loree Griffin Burns

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Adorable honey bee by Kathy, GFL librarian


This Thursday night I’ll be launching THE HIVE DETECTIVES … again.

I know! Crazy! But here’s the thing: I only get one book launch every three years or so. I should totally make the most of the opportunity, right? Plus, I am re-launching* for a great cause: the Gale Free Library (GFL) in Holden, Massachusetts.

Soooo … if you are free this Thursday, consider joining photographer Ellen Harasimowicz and I for an evening of buzzy celebration. We’ll be sharing some stories from our days researching THE HIVE DETECTIVES, selling copies of the book, and signing them, too. All proceeds will be donated directly to the Gale Free Library. Here are the details:

THE HIVE DETECTIVES Book Launch and Library Fundraiser!
Thursday, May 27, 2010
6:30-8pm
Gale Free Library
23 Highland Street
Holden, Massachusetts

We hope you can join us! And please spread the word!



* Our first launch raised $380 in honor of the Beaman Memorial Library in West Boylston, Massachusetts. If you're interested, you'll find details here and here.

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Don't you just love it when good things happen to good people ... and good books?

THE BRILLIANT FALL OF GIANNA Z--a book I read out loud to my kids back in September--was just given an E. B. White Read-Aloud Award. It's author, Kate Messner, is one of the hardest-working and generous children's authors and middle school teachers I have ever met (to say nothing of being a true blue friend) and I am thrilled, Thrilled, THRILLED for her.

Thanks to Laurie Halse Anderson, you can see Kate's big moment here.

Congratulations, Miss Kate. You are an inspiration, and I am so glad this book is being celebrated this way!

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