Events

From November 20 to November 24, I will be the Writer in Residence at The Ecole Nouvelle in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Saturday, Nov. 18 at 12:30 – 2:30 p.m., I’ll be a table host during the NCTE Children’s Book Awards Luncheon and sharing copies of Big Bear and Little Fish. The luncheon is in room Short North B on the Upper Level. Come join my table!

Come get a signed copy of Big Bear and Little Fish! Friday, Nov. 17, 2023 at 4:00 – 4:30 p.m., I’ll be signing at the Lerner Booth, #307 in the Exhibit Hall.

Come see me at the NCTE Annual Convention!  Friday, Nov. 17, 2023 at 2:00 – 3:15 p.m., I’ll be speaking to roundtables about Big Bear and Little Fish at Teaching with 2023 Charlotte Huck & Orbis Pictus Award Books in Room C-171/172.

On September 5, I’ll be talking with Lesley and Vanesha on the All in the Library Podcast. We’ll be talking mostly about Breaking Through the Clouds, but there’s other fun too, so please join us. You can listen anytime HERE.

On May 2, I’ll be visiting the International School of Lausanne in Lausanne, Switzerland. I’ll be talking about how I became a writer and also reading Big Bear and Little Fish, Nacho’s Nachos, and The Stuff Between the Stars. It’s going to be a fabulous day!

Big Bear and Little Fish will be featured on a KidLit TV StoryMakers episode on April 24, 2023. You may view it at anytime on the KidLit TV channel HERE.

On March 6, 2023 I will be joining Lori Ann Stephens and Southern Methodist University students to discuss ethical implications of children’s literature.

After doing two online readings for the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, I’m thrilled to be reading and signing The Stuff Between the Stars in person. Come join me on March 4, 2023 at 11 am at the Washington, DC location, 6th Street and Independence Avenue, SW.

I’m delighted that I’ll be talking about the making of Nacho’s Nachos at the Neighborhood School in New York City on February 28, 2023. A special thanks for the invitation from Cheryl Wolf, who curated “Cookbooks: Read it and Eat It” of which Nacho’s Nachos is a part.

On February 23, 2023, I’ll be recording a StoryMakers episode for Big Bear and Little Fish at KidLit TV in New York City.

World Read Aloud Day is February 1, 2023. I’m looking forward to reading Big Bear and Little Fish to students around the world. Teachers, please sign up HERE. I look forward to hearing from you!

Breaking Through the Clouds is named an ALA Rise Honoree.

I’m looking forward to zooming into Skyline Elementary in Solana Beach, California and reading Big Bear and Little Fish on December 8, 2022.

I’m looking forward to reading Big Bear and Little Fish with Years 1 and 2 at St. George’s International School in Clarens, Switzerland on December 7, 2022.

Big Bear and Little Fish is named a Charlotte Huck Award Recommended Book at the National Council of Teachers of English Annual Convention on November 19, 2022.

Join me and a bunch of other great children’s books authors at the Maplewood NJ Book Festival on Sunday, October 2, 2022. I look forward to seeing you there!

I’m looking forward to reading Big Bear and Little Fish with the Harvey County Parents as Teachers program at the Newton Public Library in Newton, Kansas on September 30, 2022 at 5pm.

Please join me on September 28, 2022 at 10am at Faith & Life Bookstore in Newton, Kansas. I’ll be reading Big Bear and Little Fish, answering questions from the audience, and signing books.

Please join me on September 24, 2022 at 10am at Watermark Books in Wichita, Kansas. I’ll be reading Big Bear and Little Fish, answering questions from the audience, and signing books.

If you would like to order Big Bear and Little Fish before the event, click HERE.

I’m looking forward to visiting Northridge Elementary School in Newton, Kansas on September 22, 2022 to read Big Bear and Little Fish and talk about friendship.

I’m looking forward to zooming into Newport News, Virginia on September 8, 2022, to read Big Bear and Little Fish to the first graders there.

I’ll be visiting the International School of Lausanne in Mont-sur-Lausanne, Switzerland on September 6, 2022 for a double celebration of  the release of Big Bear and Little Fish and National Friendship Month! ISL students, get ready for all the good feelings and bear and fish cookies!

The Stuff Between the Stars: How Vera Rubin Discovered Most of the Universe is named a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Book.

KidLit TV premiers the trailer for Big Bear and Little Fish on August 30, 2020. You can view it HERE.

Join me at The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum for its Online Story Hour on August 13, 2022 at 10 am eastern time. I will read Breaking Through the Clouds and chat with the Smithsonian’s Ann Caspari about clouds and meteorologist Joanne Simpson.

Join me at Books of Wonder for an online hour of picture book biographies on June 18, 2022 at 1:00 pm eastern time.

Featuring household names like 1936 Olympic gold medalist Jesse Owens in Carol Boston Weatherford’s  Jesse Owens: Fastest Man Alive and Khalil Gibran, the world’s third-best-selling poet of all time, in Cory McCarthy’s Hope is An Arrow, as well as new heroes to discover like Rob Kearney, the first openly gay professional strongman, in Eric Rosswood’s Strong, Fatima al-Fihri, the Muslim woman who founded the world’s first oldest university, in M.O. Yuksel’s One Wish, and Joanne Simpson, the pioneering scientist who became the first female doctorate meteorologist, in my Breaking Through the Clouds. You can sign up HERE.

Join me on May 22, 2022 at 5:00 pm Central Europe Time for Nonfiction Picture Books: Lessons I’ve Learned. I’ll share the important lessons I’ve learned writing nonfiction picture books and provide helpful tips, including choosing your topic, researching beyond the internet, keeping the illustrator in mind, and finding your theme. The webinar is hosted by the French Chapter of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and you can register HERE.

The Stuff Between the Stars was awarded a Crystal Kite Award, which recognizes excellence in the field of children’s literature.

Join me at Cloud-a-Day Live, the weekly broadcast of the Cloud Appreciation Society, on April 11, 2022 at 6pm UK time. We’ll be talking about Joanne Simpson and Breaking Through the Clouds. You can find the full broadcast HERE. Our discussion begins at 12:53 minutes.

I’ll be joining Lyn Miller-Lachmann at PS 110, the Monitor School, in Brooklyn, New York on April 5, 2022 to talk about Breaking Through the Clouds and inspiration for writing.

I’ll be virtually visiting Black Traditional Magnet Elementary School in Wichita, Kansas on March 24,  2022 to celebrate Women’s History Month, clouds, and the woman who discovered the importance of clouds, Joanne Simpson. I’ll also be reading Breaking Through the Clouds.

I’ll be visiting the International School of Lausanne in Mont-sur-Lausanne, Switzerland on March 10, 2022 to celebrate the release of Breaking Through the Clouds, share cloud cookies, and talk about clouds.

March 8, 2022 is International Women’s Day AND the release of Breaking Through the Clouds: The Sometimes Turbulent Life of Joanne Simpson. To celebrate, please stop by La Vaudaire in Chexbres, Switzerland for cloud cookies, cloud activities and of course a reading by the author.

Because of a snow day in Saginaw, Michigan I get to have a second round of World Read Aloud Day. I’m looking forward to reading to Ms. Jairazbhoy’s third grade class on February 9, 2022.

World Read Aloud Day is February 2, 2022. I’m looking forward to reading The Stuff Between the Stars with third graders in Richmond, Texas and Wonder Lake, Illinois, and fourth graders in Sudbury, Massachusetts and Warrenton, Virginia. What a day it will be! Contact me HERE about reading to your school or library.

I’ll be virtually visiting Slate Creek Elementary School in Newton, Kansas on October 20, 2021–The International Day of the Nacho–to talk about Nacho’s Nachos.

I’ll be virtually visiting Antonia Pantoja Bilingual Charter School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on May 27, 2021 to talk about The Stuff Between the Stars.

I’ll be virtually visiting the National Cathedral School in Washington, DC on May 6, 2021. I’ll be talking about researching nonfiction, The Stuff Between the Stars and Nacho’s Nachos.

Join me at Second Star to the Right in Denver, Colorado on May 3, 2021. I’ll be virtually reading The Stuff Between the Stars, and we’ll be having all sorts of interstellar fun! 

I’ll be visiting ELA Basel, the Swiss British School of Basel, Switzerland on April 23, 2021 to talk about Nacho’s Nachos.

I’ll be visiting St. George’s School in Clarens, Switzerland on April 21, 2021 to talk about The Stuff Between the Stars.

I’ll be visiting the International School of Lausanne in Lausanne, Switzerland on April 19 & 20, 2021 to talk about Nacho’s Nachos, researching, and writing food invention stories.

Nacho’s Nachos was awarded a Christopher Award! The award recognizes works affirming the highest values of the human spirit.

Please join me on March 31  in Wichita, Kansas for a Virtual Author Visit in celebration of Women’s History Month. I’ll be joining Watermark Books and the Wichita Schools to talk about the incredible astronomer Vera Rubin and read The Stuff Between the Stars: How Vera Rubin Discovered Most of the Universe.

If you would like to order The Stuff Between the Stars before the event, click HERE.

Join Aimee Sicuro and me at The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum for its Online Story Hour. I read The Stuff Between the Stars, we talk about Vera Rubin, and Aimee demonstrates how to paint the most beautiful galaxy. You can watch HERE.

Join me for a Virtual Story Time at Old Firehouse Books on March 20, 2021 at 9:30 am MDT. I’ll be reading The Stuff Between the Stars, talking about constellations, and showing how to make a Constellation in a Cup! Looking forward to seeing you there!

Vermont College of Fine Arts is having a Book Birthday Party for The Stuff Between the Stars and five other fantastic books by VCFA alumni on March 17, 2021 at 8 pm EDT. Why not stop by and join in the fun? You can register HERE.

In Celebration of Women’s History Month, Publishers Weekly will be featuring Laurie Wallmark and me. We talk about science, curiosity, and the importance of picture books about women in STEM. Look for our ‘In Conversation’ in Children’s Bookshelf on March 16.

I’ll be virtually visiting MayDell Jenks Elementary School and Bear Creek Elementary School, along with Blue Willow Bookshop in Houston, Texas on March 4, 2021. I’ll be talking about writing nonfiction, The Stuff Between the Stars and Nacho’s Nachos.

The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators’ Golden Kite Awards recognize excellence in children’s literature in seven categories. Nacho’s Nachos was named one of five finalists in the category of Nonfiction Text for Younger Readers. Join the Golden Kite Gala on February 19, 2021 from 4:30 to 7:00 pm PST to celebrate all of the finalists and pay special tribute to the winners of all seven categories.

Join me at the WEMTA Author’s Fair on February 7, 2021. I’ll bet talking about The Stuff Between the Stars and Nacho’s Nachos at 4:30 pm Central Time.

Join me at the WEMTA where I’ll be reading Nacho’s Nachos on February 5, 2021 at 7:10 pm Central Time.

It’s a KidLit TV Premier for The Stuff Between the Stars. You can view the book trailer HERE.

Vermont College of Fine Arts is having a Book Birthday Party for Nacho’s Nachos and five other fantastic books by VCFA alumni on November 18, 2020. Why not stop by and join in the fun? You can register HERE.

Join me for a virtual visit at Old Firehouse Books in Fort Collins, Colorado on November 6, 2020 at 10:30 am MDT. It’s National Nachos Day and I’ll be reading Nacho’s Nachos!

Second Star to the Right in Denver, Colorado will be celebrating National Nachos Day by making nachos. I’ll be stopping by virtually to join in the fun and read from Nacho’s Nachos. The date and time are: November 6, 2020 at 1:00 pm MDT.

Join me at the Boulder Book Store for a Virtual Author Visit. You can find our Q&A about Nacho’s Nachos HERE.

I’ll be visiting St. George’s School in Clarens, Switzerland on October 27, 2020 to talk about Nacho’s Nachos, researching, and writing about favorite foods.

Food Non-Fiction, a podcast that tells the incredible stories behind food, is featuring Nacho’s Nachos. Click HERE to listen or look for Food Non-Fiction on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher or RSS feed.

Lee & Low Books hosted an online Tea Time Talk on September 17 with Katheryn Russell-Brown, the author of She Was the First!: The Trailblazing Life of Shirley Chisholm, Sandra Nickel, the author of Nacho’s Nachos: The Story Behind the World’s Favorite Snack, and Monica Brown, the author of Sharuko: El arqueólogo peruano Julio C. Tello/ Peruvian Archaeologist Julio C. Tello. We talked picture book biographies from start to finish with our editor, Louise May. You can still watch anytime by clicking HERE.

Lone Star Literary Life has organized a blog tour for Nacho’s Nachos from August 20 to August 29, 2020. Be sure to stop by for a chance to win a free copy and recipe card.

Keep an eye out for The Book Club Cookbook’s Kid’s Reads Newsletter featuring Nacho’s Nachos on August 11, 2020.

TeachingBooks is featuring Sandra Nickel and Nacho’s Nachos on its Virtual Book Tour. Stop by HERE on July 28, 2020, or anytime afterwards.