The research I do in preparation for writing my books sometimes takes me into unusual places. I've gone over a seven-foot falls in a raft, slept in a sod house, and on a snowy spring day in northern Minnesota, helped a researcher dig hibernating bears out of their dens. That's when I got to hold this baby bear. He smelled like the balsam needles that had cushioned his mother's winter sleep. To learn more about some of the newest books to come out of my research, click on the Forthcoming Books or What I'm Working On Now pages.

Also new: Readers of Runt and A Bear Named Trouble might be interested in the story behind the story for each novel. You can find them by visiting those book pages. There are also new classroom guides available for Runt, Frog's Best Friend, Bear's Hiccups, and A Bear Named Trouble.

We've just added Chapter 7 to my memoir project. Scroll over the menu bar and see what's there for all the non-children in the audience.

Runt was recently honored as the Division 1 winner of the Maud Hart Lovelace Award in Minnesota. It has also won the 2005-2006 Georgia Children's Book Award. Thanks to all in both states who read and voted for Runt!

And finally, I always love to hear from readers, so if you have a question, feel free to email me.