HURRAY!!! Today we do one of my favorite posts…a cover reveal of an upcoming book! It’s a bit like the unveiling of a new work of art at a museum, right? And I’m doubly excited because it is for an author I’ve worked with, the lovely Lynn Street for THE BLUE JAYS THAT GREW A FOREST

WOW!!! I just love the art!!! What a beautiful way to invite children to pick up a book and open it!!! Illustrator Anne Hunter did a wonderful job!!!

Here’s some info about the book so that you can request your local llibrary and local independent bookstore pre-order copies for their shelves:

Title: THE BLUE JAYS THAT GREW A FOREST

Author: Lynn Street

Illustrator: Anne Hunter

Release Date: August 5, 2025

What the book is about

Busy blue jays race to stockpile acorns before winter arrives—tap, tap, tapping them into soft ground. But time is short, and other hungry animals scramble for the same seeds. While jays depend on acorns to help them survive, oaks depend on jays to scatter fruit far and wide. Some of the cached seeds that aren’t eaten will sprout. This nature story celebrates the symbiotic relationship between blue jays and oaks and the forests that flourish from this connection.

And we are so lucky because author Lynn Street stopped by to chat with us and give us a bit of the story behind the story:

LYNN: Thank you so much for having me, Vivian. I’m so excited to share the cover. Illustrator Anne Hunter did an incredible job with her true-to-life depictions of the jays and oaks and the changing seasons.

I recently found out that this nonfiction picture book is a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection. I’m looking forward to libraries having this title on their shelves for curious readers to explore!

ME: WOW! That’s fabulous, Lynn. What inspired you to write this

LYNN: A photograph of a blue jay carrying an acorn in its beak inspired this book. I sensed a mystery—and a story—here. That an oak can grow from a tiny acorn is amazing. That one bird caching acorns over a lifetime can impact the growth of forests is astounding.

The connection between blue jays and oaks is an example of mutualism, a symbiotic relationship between two different species that benefits each of them and encourages survival and growth. Oaks supply jays with food and shelter, and the trees rely on jays to transport acorns far away so that seedlings flourish in new places.

Both blue jays and oaks are keystone species—a species critical to the survival of other species in an ecosystem.

I hope that readers will be as excited as I was to learn about this relationship between blue jays and oak trees. Throughout the research process, I paid close attention to the birds in my neighborhood, and I’ve been able to watch blue jays gathering acorns each fall.

To connect with Lynn and find out more about the book and her writing:
Website – lynnstreetbooks.com
Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/lynnstreetbooks/
Bluesky – https://bsky.app/profile/lynnstreetbooks.bsky.social
Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/lynn.street.1466

Here’s a little bit about Lynn:
Lynn Street is a science-inspired author sharing lively, lyrical STEM stories with young readers. She loves concepts that cross disciplines, and personal narratives set against a sea of facts. Her passion is writing for curious observers who want to discover the wonders of their world.

Lynn’s writing celebrates nature and invites readers to slow down and explore. She is dedicated to environmental education and integrating art, science, writing, and nature for kids. Lynn holds an MFA in creative writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts.

And here’s a little bit about illustrator Anne Hunter
Anne Hunter grew up in South Florida in a community of birders and naturalists, and she went on to combine her love of nature and drawing as an illustrator and author. Now living with her family in the woods of Vermont, she is the illustrator and sometimes author of twenty picture books and the winner of a Geisel Honor for her book Where’s Baby?

.And here are Lynn’s Pre-order links to the online bookshops
Little Shop of Stories
My book link: https://littleshopofstories.com/book/9781682636046
Bookshop.org
My book link: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-blue-jays-that-grew-a-forest-lynn-street/22084564?ean=9781682636046
Amazon             
My book link:  https://tinyurl.com/mtnnz4je
B&N       
My book link: Vhttps://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-blue-jays-that-grew-a-forest-lynn-street/1146518529?ean=9781682636046

Thank you all for spending your precious time with us. I’ve been busy, gathering prizes for #50PreciousWords – and I’m happy to tell you that we now have over 60 prizes including editor and agent critiques and submission opportunities, plus author career consults and promotional opportunities, in addition to dozens and dozens of author critiques and Ask-Me-Anything Zoom Chats. The Heads-Up-The-Contest-Is-Coming-Post goes live on February 1st…and the contest will OPEN on March 2 at 12:01am and will close on March 3 at 11:59pm. Our AMAZING judges, Maria Marshall, Carmen Castillo Gilbert, Diane Tulloch, Amber Lavoie, Leah Moser, Pamela Courtney, and Shirin Shamsi are all returning…and we are EXCITED to read your precious words!