My next STEM picture book!
And don't forget to apply for a scholarship at Boyd Mills (formerly Highlights)
Back in November, I had the pleasure of introducing a sneak peek of Lots and Lots of Ocelots to educators at NCTE:
Lots and Lots of Ocelots is a rhyming picture book that introduces skip counting by 2’s, 5’s, and 10’s—with lots and lots of animals facts! Angel Chang’s illustrations are gorgeous and I’m so proud of how this book turned out. Here’s a peek at some spreads:
The book releases in August with Workman Books and it’s available for pre-order now.
As part of the NCTE presentation, I put together a PDF of my most popular STEM activities, including a new discussion guide and activity for Lots and Lots of Ocelots:
STEM Writing on Kidlit Survival Guide
While we’re talking about STEM, if you’re interested in writing STEM stories of your own, I did write a post a while back about this very topic!
Behind the Scenes: One Mad Cat Art Proofs
I received art proofs for One Mad Cat! This is the first time I’ve actually received color tests for a book, so I was VERY excited. I got a sneak peek at the spot gloss planned for the cover, the adorable end papers designed by my book designer, and the full color art for the book. Get a peek here:
Boyd Mills scholarship deadline is tomorrow
Just a heads up that TOMORROW is the deadline to apply for a Boyd Mills (formerly Highlights) scholarship. The scholarship portal closes at 11:59 PM Eastern on Monday, February 9, 2026. For more information: https://boydsmills.org/scholarships/.
This is a great opportunity to apply for funding to attend a retreat—at one of my favorite spots. Plus, one of those retreats is an in-person retreat for creating Early Reader and Chapter Books with Kaz Windness, Anne Appert, and myself in October!
More STEM Books! I want more!
If you’re looking for more great STEM books for kids, be sure to check out the STEAM Team Website. You can look at great STEM books published for kids in the last 6 years—including new ones coming out this year!
Giveaway
In honor of all the STEM in this newsletter, I’m giving away a signed copy of your choice of one of my STEM books!
Like and comment to enter to win, U.S. addresses only. (?)
This is brilliant! Great title and I’ve been looking for something for my daughter to practise skip counting (I confess, I didn’t know that was a term but basically was looking for early, fun times tables practice as she’s still young but loves maths so I’d like to gently encourage that!) I can’t see it yet on UK bookshop.org etc but I’ll keep an eye out for it 😊
What a great way to teach skip counting AND some animal facts! The illustrations are excellent as well. I look forward to seeing it on bookshelves and in children’s libraries.