The publishing industry is more challenging than ever…which makes posts like this all the more special! So, when author Lynn Street reached out to let me know that NO FEATHERS IN YOUR HATS! was going to be a real book, I knew I’d want to help her celebrate. This is a fabulous story…and just look at the AWEOME cover with art by the wonderful Anne Lambelet.

I know you will all love this story of how Florence Merriam Bailey saved millions of birds! And because author Street is so gracious, she stopped in to chat about the story behind the story.

ME: Welcome, Lynn! Thank you so much for visiting with us at Picture Books Help Kids Soar. Please share a little about the story…and the story behind the story.

LYNN: It’s a pleasure to be here, Vivian! And thank you for helping me celebrate the cover…I love Anne’s art so much!
Title: No Feathers in Your Hats!: How Florence Merriam Bailey Saved Millions of Birds
Author: Lynn Street
Illustrator: Anne Lambelet
Release Date: February 23, 2027

ME: What is the book about?

LYNN: This nonfiction picture book biography spotlights self-taught ornithologist Florence Merriam Bailey, who wrote the first US birdwatching guide in 1889 to help fight feathered fashions. She wanted to introduce the public to the beauty of observing birds in nature—instead of on women’s hats!

In the late 1800s, the study of birds was not considered a subject for girls. But Florence loved her feathered friends and thrived on watching their behavior in the woods and meadows around her family’s New York farm. 

As a student at Smith College in Massachusetts, Florence encountered birds adorning ladies’ hats! She was alarmed to learn this fashion trend harmed up to five million birds a year. Florence urged her classmates to boycott feathered hats, and she introduced them to the beauty of living birds by leading nature walks. If her classmates met bobolinks and bluebirds up close, surely they would be eager to protect them!

But Florence’s passion propelled her to do more. After college, she decided to publish a guide to seventy common US birds—Birds Through an Opera-Glass. A remarkable achievement for a 26-year-old—at a time when ornithology was not open to women!

Through her advocacy, Florence brought the wonder of observing birds to everyone. Her efforts marked the beginnings of birdwatching, now enjoyed by 96 million people in the US.

And Florence’s revolutionary idea to observe birds in nature with opera or field glasses helped to advance a nationwide conservation movement to protect these winged wonders.

Illustrator Anne Lambelet did an incredible job with her true-to-life depictions of the birds and Victorian fashions in this book. Anne did a tremendous amount of image research, and I studied historical archives and visited Smith College to see Florence’s campus for myself.

I recently found out that No Feathers in Your Hats!: How Florence Merriam Bailey Saved Millions of Birds 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: What inspired you to write this?

LYNN:
I discovered Florence Merriam Bailey in a news article. Even though I find birds fascinating, I had not heard about her pivotal role in fighting fashion trends by authoring the first US birdwatching guide. I did not know she helped establish some of the earliest Audubon Societies at Smith College and in Washington, D.C. Florence devoted her life to championing birds, writing many articles and books about them. I particularly admired her ability to combine writing and science in a way that everyone could understand.

I hope that readers will be as excited as I was to learn more about Florence, and to try some of her timeless birdwatching tips listed in No Feathers in Your Hats! Of the 70 bird species included in Florence’s guide, readers can spot 30 in the pages of this picture book!

ME: WOW! Thank you so much, Lynn. Students and teachers are going to ‘flock’ to bookstores to grab a copy when it launches in February!
And now, dear friends, here is information that will help you learn more about author Lynn and illustrator Anne…please links to connect with them and purchase the book!

Social media links
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

Lynn Street Author bio

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. Lynn 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.

Her previous nonfiction picture book, The Blue Jays That Grew a Forest, received strong recognition, honored as an ALA/ALSC Notable Book, a NSTA/CBC Outstanding Science Trade Book, and a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection.

Anne Lambelet (illustrator)

ANNE LAMBELET has been writing and illustrating children’s books since before she can remember. She has published ten picture books, and two graphic novels. She is also the author-illustrator of Beatrix and Her Friends, a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection. A native of Iowa, she now lives in Philadelphia with her husband and two sons. She especially loves drawing birds, and this picture book has given her that opportunity in abundance.

Pre-order links to the online bookshops
Little Shop of Stories
My book link: https://littleshopofstories.com/book/9781682636930

Bookshop.org
My book link: https://bookshop.org/p/books/no-feathers-in-your-hats-how-florence-merriam-bailey-saved-millions-of-birds-lynn-street/8f66aca48b13bc38?ean=9781682636930&bkshp-astro=t

Amazon             
My book link: https://tinyurl.com/yeyewntz

B&N       
My book link:
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/no-feathers-in-your-hats-lynn-street/1150247441?ean=9781682636930

Thank you for spending your precious time with us, dear friends. I am back from my trip to Greece…it was fabulous…and I’ll try to do a post in a few days to share some of the photos for those who aren’t on Facebook. But meanwhile, I hope you all have a wonderful week!