Welcome to Fly With Me Blog Tour!
To celebrate the release of Fly With Me by Jane Yolen, Heidi E. Y. Stemple, Adam Stemple, and Jason Stemple, blogs across the web are featuring exclusive content from the Yolen-Stemple family plus 5 chances to win a copy!
Come Fly With Us
by Heidi E. Y. Stemple
L to R: Adam, Jane, Heidi, Jason
subject. “It will be a book about birds and have science, folklore, conservation, fun
facts, practical tips, state birds, stuff about bird song and people who study it, as well
as people who save birds. Oh, and it will have poetry, too!” Well, we did that. We
proposed this book. And National Geographic Kids said “That sounds great! Let’s do
it!” So we did. The “we” is my entire family—me, my mother, author Jane Yolen,
and both my brothers, Adam and Jason Stemple. Adam is better known as a novelist
and a musician, and Jason is primarily a nature photographer. But, we all love birds.
We got that from David Stemple—my father. You might remember him as Pa in my
mom’s book OWL MOON which won the Caldecott in 1988.
For FLY WITH ME, we split up the subjects and got to work researching. Each piece,
as it was written, was sent to me and I set them into the whole. We were sure that
National Geographic would think we were nuts. We just kept adding stuff as we found
it. I would be researching endangered birds and find a new one. So, I added that in. I
would send a frantic email to one of my brothers, “I need 200 words on the Bald
Eagle!” My mother would text me to say she the book would be incomplete without a
section on citizen science so we’d include it. We assumed NatGeo would choose only
what they wanted and toss the rest. But, they loved the direction we chose and the
book, kept everything and, in the end, all 200 pages (give or take) wound up better
than we dreamed!
We think FLY WITH ME is a perfect book for science class, a budding ornithologist,
your grandmother who taught you to love birds, or a new baby. The pictures, alone,
are worth it. But, there is so much information, both educational and fun—starting right on the endpapers-- that we think every bird lover will spend hours with it. It’s a
bird party on every page.
Bird Party
Invitations sent,
the feeders filled,
millet stocked,
and bread’s been spilled.
The guests arrive
without delay,
robins, wrens,
one noisy jay.
without delay,
robins, wrens,
one noisy jay.
In the grass
and on the deck,
doves mill around
while finches peck.
and on the deck,
doves mill around
while finches peck.
The crow’s attempted
party crashing—
met with vigilant
thrashers thrashing.
party crashing—
met with vigilant
thrashers thrashing.
Chit chit, chit chit
chick-a-dee-dee-dee
It’s a backyard bird
cacophony!
Poem ©2018 Heidi E.Y. Stemple
chick-a-dee-dee-dee
It’s a backyard bird
cacophony!
Poem ©2018 Heidi E.Y. Stemple
Blog Tour Schedule:
December 10th — A Dream Within a Dream
December 11th — Kid Lit Frenzy
December 12th — Christy's Cozy Corners
December 13th — Colorimetry
December 14th — Chat with Vera
Description:
Enchanting stories, lyrical poems, stunning photography, and fascinating science fill
the pages of this treasury celebrating the amazing world of birds.
This thoughtful and beautifully curated collection of our flying, feathery friends
highlights the role birds play in human life from centuries ago to present day. While
it's beautiful, it's also full of valuable real science about these wondrous creatures.
From history and behavior to spotting and photographing, there's sure to be something
for every bird fan in your flock. Young birders will learn all about migration and the
importance of habitat conservation. They'll find stories about bird rescues and fun
facts about the fastest, strongest, and tiniest fliers. They'll also discover the best bird
nests, sweet songs to sing, ways to listen for and identify the birds around them, and
more. Paired with stunning art and photography and beautiful design, this treasury is
sure to become a classic for bird enthusiasts of all ages.
Fly with Me was created to help celebrate Year of the Bird, National Geographic's
2018 initiative to bring awareness to the plight of birds around the world.
"Yolen and her three children celebrate birds with a lavishly illustrated
compendium of facts, photographs, and poetry...As is characteristic of National
Geographic publications, the plentiful photographs are well-chosen and
beautifully reproduced. A treasure for browsers and bird lovers everywhere." - Kirkus Starred Review
"With text that never talks down to its audience, this makes an ideal choice for family sharing or classroom browsing." - Booklist
Buy: National Geographic | Amazon | Indiebound
L to R: Adam, Jane, Heidi, Jason
JANE YOLEN is an author of children's books, fantasy, and
science fiction, including Owl Moon, The Devil's Arithmetic, and How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? She is also a poet, a teacher of writing and literature, and a reviewer of
children's literature.
HEIDI STEMPLE was 28 years old when she joined the family business, publishing
her first short story in a book called Famous Writers and Their Kids Write Spooky
Stories. The famous writer was her mom, author Jane Yolen. Since then, she has
published 20 books and numerous short stories and poems, mostly for children.
Stemple, her two daughters, her mom, and a couple cats live in Massachusetts on a big
old farm with two houses.
JASON STEMPLE is an author and photographer. He lives with his wife and children
in Charleston, South Carolina.
ADAM STEMPLE is a novelist and musician. He lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Follow Jane: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Follow Heidi: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
Follow Adam: Website
Follow Jason: Website | Facebook | Instagram
Follow National Geographic Kids: Website | Twitter |
Books: Twitter | Facebook | Youtube
One (1) winner will receive a copy of Fly With Me
US/Canada only
To enter the giveaway, leave a meaningful comment on the post and a way for me to get in touch with you in case you're the winner!
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