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Hi, I'm Ann. I write nonfiction and fiction for kids of all ages. My new chapter book series, ZEKE THE WEATHER GEEK, written with co-author Joan Axelrod-Contrada, is coming out in 2022 from Kids Can Press. Check this link for activities to go along with my picture book A SCARF FOR KEIKO.

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A SCARF FOR KEIKO was named a Sidney Taylor Notable Book in 2025. The Sydney Taylor Book Awards are given to outstanding books for children and teens that authentically portray the Jewish experience. They are awarded every year by the Association of Jewish Libraries, a division of the American Library Association (ALA).

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I started a butterfly garden in my backyard this summer. Partly to cheer myself up. Mostly to help butterflies survive. First I dug up a patch of 100-year-old daylilies that had stopped blooming. Then I looked for native plants that attract butterflies (and bees, too). Here's hoping the plants survive the August heat.

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To read more of today's Black voices in young people's literature, go to The Brown Bookshelf for news, reviews, and important discussions -- and buy some books.

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My writer friends are working hard during this difficult time. Starting new projects. Finishing old projects. Getting new ideas. Reaching out to each other. Reading. Reading. Reading.

As the former First Lady Michelle Obama says, “You may not always have a comfortable life. And you will not always be able to solve all the world’s problems all at once. But don’t ever underestimate the impact you can have, because history has shown us that courage can be contagious, and hope can take on a life of its own.”

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I feel privileged to be working on a new poetry collection about some of my heroes, including the labor activist Dolores Huerta. As I look deep into their lives, I discover they are wildly different, but share one thing in common. Each had a dream of what could be, and set out to create it themselves. Stay tuned.