Remember those old Doublemint gum commercials? Well, today we have double your pleasure and double your fun with this DOUBLE COVER REVEAL for a long-time kidlit friend of mine, Heather Kinser. Her entry into a past #50PreciousWords Contest was the seed for her debut picture book, SMALL MATTERS…and now she’s got two more!

COVER REVEAL #1:

Here’s a bit about NATURE IS A SCULPTOR:

Glaciers, rivers, wind, and rain are a few of the elements that shape the landscape in powerful ways.

They form features big and small―from grand canyons and enormous caves to smooth pebbles and fine grains of sand. Lyrical verse by Heather Ferranti Kinser introduces weathering, erosion, and deposition, and eye-catching photos provide a look at some of the world’s geological marvels. Back matter gives more information about the processes that sculpt the landscape and highlights formations including Half Dome, a hoodoo, and basalt columns.

AND HERE IS COVER REVEAL #2:

And here’s a little bit about IN A CAVE:

Work up an appetite for cave popcorn as you journey into a subterranean world filled with dazzling cave formations and cave-dwelling creatures!

Join two young explorers and their trusted guide as they head off on a wonder-filled underground adventure. Slip through crevices, creep through passageways, and stop to admire the beauty of a fascinating ecosystem. From stalactites and stalagmites, to dripstone, shelfstone, and pearls – there is something to discover at every turn. Troglobites, glow worms, spiders, and bats make your acquaintance before your return to the light and familiarity of places above.

With a lyrical, rhyming text, and illustrations that illuminate and bring warmth to an otherwise dark and damp environment, IN A CAVE is sure to please science and nature lovers of all ages.

WOW! Those covers definitely give me an appetite to open those books and see what’s inside!

I know that we all love to hear the story behind the story – I think it helps us to find our own stories. And Heather kindly stopped by to chat about her inspiration for both of these books.
ME: WELCOME, HEATHER! We so glad you came to chat.

HEATHER: Thanks for having me on your blog, Vivian. What a delightful space to begin sharing my books with the world!

Both my new books were inspired by a lifelong love of rocks. Just beyond the back gate of my childhood home was a vacant lot—“the field.” I spent a lot of time there, cooking (with mud and weeds), excavating (an aspiring archaeologist, I did find an arrowhead one day), and rock collecting. I’d bring my treasured rocks home and lovingly wash them in the bathroom sink, to see what colors and patterns emerged under the water. And whenever my family traveled north, we’d spend an hour at a rest stop called The Nut Tree, where I’d always ask to buy a couple of minerals or geodes. That collection is still with me today, on windowsills and bookshelves around my home. As an adult, some of my favorite vacations have included rock formations—from Bell Rock in Sedona to The Dragon’s Teeth in Maui. And when I finally had a chance to visit a cave—wow! It was like being IN a rock. How cool is that!

The seed for IN A CAVE was planted while I was visiting Mammoth Cave in Kentucky. There were important safety and cave stewardship rules to know, and I emerged with the phrase, “how to behave in a cave” running through my head. I wanted to write about how to be a good cave visitor, as well as convey the chill and thrill of journeying into the earth. As for NATURE IS A SCULPTOR, I was poking around in the Next Generation Science Standards one day, looking for a topic I might connect to, when I found the standards for Earth’s Systems. The item, “Wind and water can change the shape of the land” resonated with me, big time! I thought about the fascinating rock formations I’d seen and all the magnificent natural structures I wished I could see, and this ode to nature’s sculptures pretty much flowed out. I can only say, I was destined to one day write about rocks!

And we are so glad you did!!!

To find out more about Heather and her books:
Heather Ferranti Kinser writes at the intersection of story, poetry, and nature from her home on the San Francisco Peninsula. She’s a former technical editor who now spends her days writing small stories—to make a big difference for kids! In addition to NATURE IS A SCULPTOR and IN A CAVE, she is the author of SMALL MATTERS: THE HIDDEN POWER OF THE UNSEEN (Millbrook Press). Learn more about Heather and her work at HeatherKinser.com, or connect on social media at @hethfeth on Twitter or Instagram. 

Heather’s books can be pre-ordered through all major distributors, but she’d be thrilled if you ordered from her local independent children’s bookseller, Linden Tree Books. Find Heather’s books here: pre-order NATURE IS A SCULPTOR, pre-order IN A CAVE.

Remember, dear friends, that the success of new books is up to all of us…writers, parents, teachers, librarians and anyone who is a lover of books and reading. We can buy new books, review new books, tell friends about them, and ask our local library to purchase copies for their collection.

I hope you all have a wonderful week…and please stop by tomorrow for another cover reveal!!!