Children’s Literature

Cover Reveal!

Posted by Sarah L. Thomson on Aug 20, 2021 in BOOK: A Pandemic Is Worldwide, Children's Literature, Nonfiction, PIcture Books | Comments Off on Cover Reveal!

And here it is: the cover for A Pandemic Is Worldwide, to be published in February 2022!

So much gratitude and respect for the illustrator, Taia Morley (do check out her website here), who managed to take on this sobering topic with such grace. The art conveys the seriousness of the situation without letting it get grim.

I have to confess to some sadness, as well. When I first proposed this to my editor, Tamar Mayes at HarperCollins in the summer of 2020, she had a little hesitation (which I shared). A trade book is not a quick undertaking. Even rushing it (which we did), it wouldn’t be on shelves for a year and a half. Would pandemics still be relevant, we wondered? Would the world have moved on?

I’m sad to say–I’m heartbroken to say–this book will be relevant and needed and timely in February of 2022.

Poop Research Continues

Posted by Sarah L. Thomson on Jun 4, 2021 in Children's Literature, Writing Process | Comments Off on Poop Research Continues

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons, Nhobgood, Nick Hobgood

Guess what the pristine what beaches of Hawaii and the Caribbean are made out of?

Parrotfish poop.

Parrotfish use their tough beaks to scrape algae off coral and eat it. They also eat the little animals that build the coral. Doing this, they end up crunching up the coral itself, which their bodies process and defecate as lovely white sand.

A big parrotfish can poop out 1000 pounds of sand a year.

You are welcome for this tidbit of horrifying yet delightful knowledge. Take it with you on your next beach vacation.

Poop Research

Posted by Sarah L. Thomson on May 21, 2021 in Children's Literature, Nonfiction | Comments Off on Poop Research

Dogs do it. They’re not sorry. And they would do it again if they could. (Thanks to Claudia Peters from Pixabay for the image!

It’s remarkable how often my research for nonfiction leads me into the realm of poop. A while back, there was the question of how the Apollo astronauts managed with no toilet. And of course, the fascinating shape of wombat poop. This week I’ve been delving into the age-old question of why dogs eat poop.

a) Because their ancestors did.

b) Because it’s there.

c) Because dogs are just, by nature, gross.

d) And other reasons that may be revealed if I find a publisher for this new project one day.

Wombats Coming Soon

Posted by Sarah L. Thomson on Apr 30, 2021 in BOOK: Wombat Underground, Children's Literature, PIcture Books | Comments Off on Wombats Coming Soon

Wombat himself, illustrated by Charles Santoso–just a snippet of the lovely, lovely art for this book

Today I’m looking forward to the day when (about a year from now; we in the publishing business live in the future a lot) my picture book Wombat Underground will be published. This is a book close to my heart; it holds so much of my feelings about both the natural world and the nature of humanity–essentially, when we’re frightened and alone, do we welcome in strangers who are also frightened and alone? Do we shelter each other, or do we drive each other way?

(Yeah, it’s not just about wombats)

But it is also a charming and exciting story about a wombat and a bushfire, and it’s just…I’m really proud of it. I can’t wait for the day when you all get to see it too.