Birds in Our Backyard - Adele Porter

Birds in Our Backyard

by Adele Porter

A prairie chicken dancing to the beat, a Red-Winged blackbird flashing his snazzy wing patches to attract a female, a grouse growing its own “snowshoes,” and American robins traveling north in the spring share at least one characteristic—they all call Minnesota home at some point during the year. Birds in Our Backyard invites young ones into the lives of these winged wonders.

Season by season, kids discover which birds they might see, how far they have traveled, where they build their homes, and what they like to eat. Able guide Adele Porter and award-winning nature photographer Bill Marchel bring to life the world of birds—the colors, the sounds, the wonder of flight. Learn about wild and urban habitats, clever practices in building nests and caching food, and migrating and mating rituals.

Birds in Our Backyard is the perfect companion for a walk in the woods, a picnic in the park, or breakfast at the kitchen window, encouraging budding birders and naturalists to take a closer look at our feathered friends and the world we share with them.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Adele Porter is a science educator and author fortunate to have a career that combines her curiosity and passion for science and dedication to children. The Wild About series of children and young adult books was inspired by the students of all ages that she has worked with during 20 years as an educator.

When not teaching or working on a book, Adele writes educational materials for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, the US Forest Service, and various publications. Being a member of the National Science Teachers' Association and the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators helps to keep her informed.

When asked what she enjoys the most about being an author, the answer is easy - meeting the readers of the Wild About books and hearing about their enthusiastic outdoor adventure stories! Another fun part of being an author is guiding readers to participate in citizen science projects.

Minnesota is her favorite state and where she learned to canoe and kayak, cross-country ski, and roast marshmallows until they have crunchy brown bubbles on the outside and melted deliciousness inside. What she treasures most is spending time with her family and friends.

PHOTOGRAPHER BIOGRAPHY

Bill Marchel is a full-time wildlife and outdoor photographer and writer from Fort Ripley, Minnesota.  His photo files contain over 120,000 images that include over 100 magazine cover photos to such magazines as Audubon, Field & Stream, National Wildlife, and Ducks Unlimited.  His writing appears in a weekly column titled Afield for the Minneapolis Star Tribune. 
 


UPCOMING EVENTS

Book signings: 

• Saturday, March 24, 2012, 1:00 - 3:30 pm: Book Cliffs in Wabasha
• March 2012, Date TBD: Red Balloon Bookshop
• April 2012, Date TBD: Creative KidsStuff

Author program information: http://adeleporter.com/educatorsparents/authorprograms.html

Adele also offers a new set of winter classes via Skype - her take on Skype an Author. Since the great outdoors is her main "office", these will be done on location in a natural area.

WEBSITE

http://www.adeleporter.com
Blogs: http://adeleporter.com/abouttheauthor/authorblog.html  and  http://adeleporter.wordpress.com/

PURCHASE

• Amazon
• Barnes & Noble
• http://adeleporter.com/orderbooks.html
• Minnesota Historical Society Press: http://shop.mnhs.org/moreinfo.cfm?Product_ID=2955
• Adventure Publications, Inc.: http://www.adventurepublications.net/tek9.asp?pg=products&specific=jqemdri8

PUBLISHER

Minnesota Historical Society Press
Adventure Publications, Inc.

OTHER PUBLISHED WORKS

• Wild About Minnesota Birds, 2007 *Midwest Independent Publishers Book Award 2007, Children/Young Adult Nonfiction 
• Wild About Wisconsin Birds, 2009 
• Wild About Michigan Birds, 2009 
• Wild About Northeastern Birds, 2010 
• Wild About Cooking for the Birds, 2010
  

Birdie - by Candace Simar

Birdie

by

Candace Simar

Birdie, Book 3 of the Abercrombie Trail Series by Candace Simar, was released by North Star Press in May 2011.  Birdie continues the story of Evan and Inga Jacobson from Abercrombie Trail, eleven years after the 1862 Sioux Uprising.  They struggle to raise their family in the midst of bank failures, grasshoppers and lingering effects of the Indian war.  Harsh economic realities force them to relocate to Otter Tail County where they must begin again in a hostile environment.  It also continues the story of Pomme de Terre’s Ragna Larson, their foster daughter, who grows up haunted by her missing sister, Birdie.  Though both girls were kidnapped by the Sioux during the Uprising, only one returned.  Ragna must make peace with the past before she can move forward with her life.  Evan and Inga must do the same.

BIOGRAPHY

Candace Simar, a life-long Minnesotan and the granddaughter of immigrants, writes historical fiction about Scandinavian immigrants in 1860s Minnesota. Her historical novels Abercrombie Trail and Pomme de Terre are applauded by readers of all ages.  She is a member of Brainerd Writer’s Alliance, Bards of a Feather, The Loft Literary Center and Western Writers of America. She is a grateful recipient of Five Wings Arts Grants through the McKnight Foundation. 

PURCHASE

http://ourbooks.myshopify.com/products/birdie

David Geister - Artist and Illustrator

David Geister is a Minnesota artist who specializes in paintings of early American history and the landscapes and people of the upper Mississippi River. His work is used by historical institutions, appears in magazines and children's books, and adorns the walls of numerous collectors.

David Geister is an artist whose love of the natural beauty of the land and fascination with his country's history is celebrated in his work. He creates landscapes, portraits and depictions of historic events in a variety of mediums . . . oil on canvas, pen and ink drawings and watercolor sketches done in a nineteenth century style.

BIOGRAPHY
As a child growing up at the confluence of the Mississippi and St. Croix rivers in Prescott, Wisconsin, Dave became immersed in the works of Mark Twain and Bruce Catton, and when he wasn't reading or reenacting battles with toy soldiers, he was drawing. Dave is a proud 1984 graduate of Dakota County Technical College, where he studied Applied Arts.

In addition, four years of service in the United States Marine Corps left him with a deep appreciation for the drama of American history and the desire to tell those stories.

Dave has worked for several years as a historical artist and illustrator and his paintings have been featured in The Military Collector and Historian, The Saturday Evening Post and several issues of The History Channel Magazine. His illustrations can be found in the Sleeping Bear Press children's books The Legend of Minnesota, The Voyageur's Paddle, The Legend of Wisconsin, Riding to Washington, and B is for Battle Cry: A Civil War Alphabet, written by his wife Pat Bauer.

The Minnesota Historical Society and many other state and county historical societies have called upon Dave's skills as a historical artist and interpreter for their sites. He can occasionally be glimpsed in costume portraying the frontier artists Seth Eastman or George Catlin. Dave appeared as Eastman in the award-winning Twin Cities Public Television documentary, "Seth Eastman: Painting the Dakotah." and even in an episode of Oregon Public Television's "History Detectives".

Dave lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota with his dear wife and stepdaughters, who share his love of history and art.

WEBSITE
www.davidgeister.com