As a scientist and mom, I am interested in educating the next generation. As legendary explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau once said, “We only protect what we love, we only love what we understand, and we only understand what we are taught.” I truly believe in the power of science education. By teaching others to appreciate the natural world today, we empower them to protect it for tomorrow.
Exploring Nature Through Words
Welcome to my journey of creating a children’s book inspired by the diversity of mushrooms. Join me as I delve into the science, creative process, and the stories that bring it to life for young readers. In this space, I will document my experiences, challenges, and triumphs in writing a children’s book.
Hello World! I’m writing a book!
November 16, 2025
This post has been a long time coming. Around 2018, I started thinking about the lack of good children’s books that featured mushrooms. True there was the classic, “Mushroom in the Rain” by Mira Ginsburg, illustrated by Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey. But most “mushroom” books for children featured a red mushroom with white spots – the cute but poisonous one! As a longtime mycophile (mushroom lover), educator, and daughter of a children’s librarian, I was truly saddened this. Thankfully since 2018, there have been a lot of great mushroom books published for children, including “Fungus is Among Us!” by Joy Keller, illustrated by Erica Salcedo; “The Mushroom Fan Club” by Elise Gravel; “Mushroom Rain” by Laura K. Zimmermann, illustrated by Jamie Green; and how can I forget the latest “Mushroom of Doom!” by Becky Davies, illustrated by Thomas Elliott. I am grateful to these wonderful authors and illustrators for their beautiful works. But I still feel I had something to contribute.
For those that do not know me, I like to call myself a “fun-gal,” because I am very enthusiastic about mushrooms, studied mushrooms for my PhD, and love to educate others about how diverse and wonderful they truly are! Instead of a list of birds or plants I have seen in my lifetime, I keep a list of mushrooms I have seen or would love to see someday. Which brings me to the present. About a year ago, I was talking with a fellow mycophile and artist, Nancy Hart, and mentioned that I wanted to write a mushroom ABC book for children featuring a different mushroom for every letter of the alphabet. She loved the idea and wanted to join me on this adventure. So…we are writing and illustrating a book!
But creating a book can take time. I have been busy identifying my mushrooms (from A to Z) and taking reference photos of each one. My artist/illustrator has been busy looking at the reference photos and illustrating each mushroom. It has been a fun process. The hardest part has been choosing which mushrooms to include. There are so many great ones – but it is like choosing my favorite child (thankfully, I have but one human child)!
Please join me on this adventure. I will try to keep you updated on our progress. But in the meantime, here is a sneak peak of “B” – “Bird’s Nest Fungi,” so called because their fruiting bodies (or mushrooms) resemble small “egg-filled” nests. You can typically find this mushroom in mulch piles because they decompose (or break down/eat wood). So next time you are on a playground or pass a garden bed, look closely and you may be lucky enough to see this mushroom!
