PBParty Entry #48 : Moss {ART}

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GENRE: STEM/STEAM, Lyrical, Non-Fiction

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WORDS: 576

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Query:

Dear PBParty Judges, Agents, and Editors,

Thank you for taking the time to consider my 576-word lyrical nonfiction picture book, MOSS. Soft, silent, squishy, moss clumps and mats and clings, cushions, creeps, and clusters. But what is moss? MOSS takes readers back in time to show how ancient mosses have survived for eons, on a journey across all seven continents to uncover what moss is, and into the future to discuss how moss could be important to our very survival.

Like Caves by Nell Cross Beckerman and Mushroom Rain by Laura K. Zimmermann, MOSS uses lyrical language and rich, atmospheric illustrations to explore its subject with a mysterious, awe-filled tone. Vetted by Janice Glime, Professor Emerita of Biological Sciences at Michigan Technological University and past President of the International Association of Bryologists, MOSS is aimed at K-third grade students and addresses Next Generation Science Standards in each grade level. Back matter includes additional moss facts, science activities, an author’s note and more.

I am honored to be a 2023 PBParty Finalist and PB Rising Stars Runner-up, and my poetry and art was recently published in the FABULOUS FACTS issue of Little Thoughts Press. I am a member of Storyteller Academy, 12 x 12, and SCBWI. Besides homeschooling my children for nine years in Bellevue, Washington, I have enjoyed work as an art museum educator and as a watercolor artist and nature journaling instructor, learning from naturalist John Muir Laws in the San Francisco Bay area. Helping children notice and appreciate the world around them, especially the oft-ignored and overlooked, brings me joy and is my inspiration for writing this book.

I have several other picture book manuscripts ready–both humorous fiction and STEM-related lyrical nonfiction–that I’m happy to send you upon request. Thank you for participating in #pbparty and for your interest in my project.

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Excerpt:

The forest air hangs
heavy and damp.

Underfoot,
leaves crinkle.
Sticks crackle.

Sunlight peeks,
sneaks,
streaks,
then suddenly…

one bright beam
reveals a bursting, gleaming
patch of green…

MOSS.

Soft, silent, squishy,
moss clumps and mats and clings,
cushions,
creeps,
and clusters.

But what is moss?

Moss is….

ANCIENT.

Long ago, land was
barren and brown,
without trees, grass, or flowers,
no bugs, birds, or beasts.
Until …

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What inspired you to write this story & what do you have in common with it:

I live in western Washington, where moss grows abundantly–a beautiful perk of living here. A week after leading a children’s nature journaling class about moss, a mother approached me and said, “My son now excitedly points out moss wherever we go. He’d never noticed it before!” Helping kids notice and appreciate the world around them, especially the overlooked and under-appreciated, brings me joy. A nonfiction picture book writing assignment inspired me to learn even more about moss. After countless hours of research, I’d developed a deep appreciation for this ancient, misunderstood, vitally important plant. I had to tell its story.

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