Today at There’s A Book we have a very special guest, Melissa Stewart, the author of A Place For Birds and A Place For Frogs. I’m delighted to have Melissa stop by today, her books have quickly become some of The Turkeybird and Littlebug’s favorites. Especially because of the opportunity they get to take the things they read and carry them with them into the outdoors. So, without further babbling on my part, Melissa’s journey into reading and conservation:

I was a reluctant reader as a child. But then a very smart librarian, Mrs. Freeborn, gave me a copy of Mr. Mysterious & Company by Sid Fleischman. The book’s combination of intriguing setting and quirky characters fascinated me. After I read the last page, I turned right back to page 1 and started reading it again. That book turned me into a reader.

But even after I learned to love books, I probably didn’t spend as much time reading as most of my children’s-book-writing colleagues. That’s because I was constantly being drawn outdoors. My parent’s owned 10 acres of beautiful New England woodlands, and there was a national forest on the other side of the street. Those woods were the most amazing playground a child could ever hope for.

My brother and I spent our days exploring the wonders of our natural surroundings. We searched for salamanders and other little critters under rotting logs. We made necklaces out of wildflowers and caught frogs and turtles. We climbed trees and built forts and made trails for our bikes. My father taught us the names of the trees, and my mother taught us to identify birds and their calls.

One day, when I was about 8 years old, I remember walking through the woods with my dad and brother. He was asking us lots of questions.
“Why do stone walls run through the middle of the woods?”
“Why do sassafras trees have three kinds of leaves?”
“Why don’t chipmunks build their nests in trees like squirrels?”

He wanted us to think about our surroundings, and he knew a guessing game would be more engaging than a lecture.

As we reached the top of a hill, my dad stopped and scanned the landscape. Then he asked if we noticed anything unusual about that area of the woods.

My brother and I looked around.

We looked at each other.

We shook our heads.

But then, suddenly, the answer came to me. “All the trees seem kind of small,” I said.

My dad nodded with approval. Then he explained that there had been a fire in the area about twenty-five years earlier. All the trees had burned and many animals had died, but over time, the forest had recovered.

That was a magical moment for me because I instantly understood the power of nature. I also realized that a field, a forest, any natural place has stories to tell, and I could discover those stories just by looking closely.

With early experiences like that, it’s probably no coincidence that, today, my brother works as an environmental consultant and my writing focuses on sharing the beauty and wonder of the natural world with kids. If one of my books inspires a child to take a closer look at a rock or to chase after a butterfly just to see where it’s going, then my job is done.

“Thank you so much Melissa for stopping by There’s A Book! Your books and work are wonderful! Not only are her books fantastic, but she has a website full of great activities and information for parents, teachers and even kiddos to interact with, so make sure to check it out!”

Make sure to enter for your chance to win one of her two books, A Place For Birds and A Place For Frogs(courtesy of Pechtree Publishers), and read our review as well!

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