Welcome!

Hello! I’m Christina. I write books for kids ranging in age from 2 to 12. Here is my newest book, Swallows Swirl, illustrated by Jess Mason and published by Sleeping Bear Press.

I’m very happy to share the news that the John Burroughs Association has honored Swallows Swirl with a Riverby Award. This award is given to “outstanding nature books for children…that present perceptive and artistic accounts of direct experiences in the world of nature, demonstrating a respect for nature, accuracy of information, and quality of prose and illustrations.”

I am deeply honored that Swallows Swirl was selected, along with six other authors’ and illustrators’ books.

Swallows Swirl is the story of one child’s year overlaid with the annual cycle of barn swallows, who nest and raise young in the child’s garden before migrating south for the winter. During their absence, she wonders about them while quietly undergoing her own growing and changing until finally she welcomes them back when spring returns. It’s a joyful celebration of seasons and life cycles and the wonders of nature.

Most of my books are about animals, plants, natural history, and science, though if you hop up to the menu bar and check out my books, you’ll find that other topics sometimes nose their way in, too. I hope you enjoy the pictures and other features on my website.

Renaming Birds: Steller’s Eider

This dapper duck is a male Steller’s Eider (Polysticta stelleri), a bird that breeds in far north Arctic regions and winters in what, to our way of thinking, are locations that are just as chilly (Aleutian Islands, northern Scandinavia, and the like). This species is named after Georg Wilhelm Steller, a physician, naturalist, and explorer… Continue reading Renaming Birds: Steller’s Eider

Renaming the Birds: Ross’s Goose

As birders, bird lovers, and most people who have ever seen a bird know by now, the American Ornithological Society announced on November 1, 2023, that it will change the English common names of all North American birds who are named after people. No matter how you feel about this decision, it’s still a rare… Continue reading Renaming the Birds: Ross’s Goose

Barn Swallows and Valentines

It’s Valentine’s Day, and along with flowers and chocolates, birds of various species flutter charmingly across many Valentine cards. Birds have long been associated with love. During the Middle Ages, people in parts of Europe believed that birds began their courtship and breeding season on February 14. Geoffrey Chaucer immortalized this sentiment in “The Parliament… Continue reading Barn Swallows and Valentines

Sloth Bear Has Something to Say…

Editor’s Note: Hello! Today’s guest post is brought to you by Ursula, a sloth bear who is determined to show, despite her species’ common name, that sloth bears have a lot of get-up-and-go. In that interest, she has learned to read and write. “Greetings. Yes, I am a sloth bear, and yes, I wrote this… Continue reading Sloth Bear Has Something to Say…

Name That Bird!

Feathers are flying now that the American Ornithological Society has decided to rename all bird species in the Americas that are named after people. The main reason for this decision is to eradicate names of people with racist or colonial associations. It paves the way for the creation of new names that focus on the… Continue reading Name That Bird!

2 Big Dogs + 1 Tiny Mouse

A) I cannot believe it has been a year since I last added anything to this blog. B) I cannot believe that, like the last entry, it involves rescuing a small creature from our two lumbering dogs. This time, I found both dogs standing stockstill on the deck, one pointing east and one pointing west,… Continue reading 2 Big Dogs + 1 Tiny Mouse

The Sneaky Squirrel and the Sunflower Seeds

At long last the soil has warmed up enough to plant dahlias. Every fall, after the flowers’ fireworks display of color is long gone, I dig up the tubers before the soil gets cold and soggy and tuck them to sleep in a laundry basket filled with peat moss in the garage. Come spring, I… Continue reading The Sneaky Squirrel and the Sunflower Seeds

We Rescued a Bunny!

What do you like to do after school or work ends for the day? If it’s nice out, I usually like to go for a walk with my dogs. Today, however, I decided to wander around the garden and see what was blooming and what little creatures might be stirring in the flowers and under… Continue reading We Rescued a Bunny!

Books

I’ve written more than 200 books. Many of them are about animals, habitats, and natural history. And I’m thrilled to share the news of my latest book, Swallows Swirl, illustrated by Jess Mason, which was published on March 15, 2024. From Kirkus Reviews: “Vivid language enlivens this quiet appreciation of avian life. In spring, the… Continue reading Books

Photos and Drawings

I like to draw and take photos. The slideshow on this page features a selection of some of my favorites.