The longer I am part of this incredible Kid-Lit community, the more fabulous people I connect with. Sometimes I meet folks at conferences or book events. Other times, it’s through contests like #50PreciousWords. Today we are singing a GLORIOUS Happy Birthday to a book written by Ginny Neil who I met when she won Susanna Leonard Hill’s Halloweensie Contest in 2020. Ginny chose me as her prize – I think it was a picture manuscript critique. I LOVED her story…and I read one of her other manuscripts also (this one!). And early in 2021, when I heard that Essie White had just taken on a new agent at Storm Literary, I encouraged Ginny to send Lisa Amstutz something because Lisa loves lyrically written informational fiction – and that’s exactly what Ginny does so well. Ginny did query Lisa…the rest is history. And the result is Ginny’s debut picture book, THE FOREST THAT FIRE BUILT which she wrote AND illustrated!

Here’s a little bit about the book from the Amazon sales page:
A wildfire roars through the forest, leaving nothing but ashes until seeds sprout from deep below. Root by root and seed by seed, the forest rises again. In this lyrical cumulative nonfiction story about forest succession, readers will learn that forest fires are critical to forest health and that the end of a tree’s life provides the opportunity for new life. Back matter explains the timeline of the forest cycle in more detail.

And here’s a little bit about author/illustrator Ginny Neil:
Ginny Neil is an author, illustrator, award-winning teacher, and master naturalist. When she’s not slogging through a marsh, trying to spot spring peepers or chasing errant sheep across mountains and meadows, she manages an outdoor learning lab, teaches STEM to elementary and middle school students, and writes about all the things and people that make Earth such a fun and fascinating place to live. The Glorious Forest that Fire Built is her first picture book.

And here are some ways we can help THE GLORIOUS FOREST THAT FIRE BUILT become a big success:
Buy the book
Review the book on Amazon and Goodreads
Tell friends about it (share on your social media!)
Ask your local library to purchase copies for their collection

Please remember to leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of this beautiful book!
Have a super fantastic week, dear friends!

I’ll leave you with something that I hope will inspire you – Ginny saw a photo of my late husband fly fishing…and SHE was inspired to paint it. She mailed me a print of it – and I absolutely LOVE it.