Spring has sprung and apple trees are shouting about it here at the farmstead in Central Maine. After a long winter’s nap their branches are bursting into bloom. With temperatures in the 70s and sunshine in full array (Oh, but rain predicted to be on its way…), this writer is shouting about it too. Inspired by another of nature’s wonders ~ Bette A. Stevens, Maine author illustrator
Wishing everyone a Happy & Blessed Mother’s Day.
~Bette A. Stevens, Maine author/illustrator
Inspired by nature and human nature, author Bette A. Stevens is a retired elementary and middle school teacher, a wife, mother of two and grandmother of five. Stevens lives in Central Maine with her husband on their 37-acre farmstead where she enjoys reading, writing, gardening, walking and reveling in the beauty of nature. She advocates for children and families, for childhood literacy and for the conservation of monarch butterflies (milkweed is the only plant that monarch caterpillars will eat).
Stevens’s children’s book, THE TANGRAM ZOO and WORD PUZZLES TOO! was first published in 1997 by Windswept House Publishing, Mt. Desert, ME; a second edition was self-published by the author in 2012. AMAZING MATILDA , Stevens’s second children’s book, self-published in 2012 won a 2013 Purple Dragonfly Book Award (Honorable Mention for Excellence in Children’s Literature – Ages 6 and older category) and also placed #9 on The 2013 Gittle List for Self-published Children’s Picture Books. Stevens has written articles for ECHOES, The Northern Maine Journal of Rural Culture based in Caribou, Maine. In 2013, the author published her first book for the YA/Adult audience: PURE TRASH, a short story of a boy growing up in rural New England in a family whose poverty and alcoholism mark him as a target for bullying by young and old alike. This short story is a prequel to Stevens’s début novel DOG BONE SOUP released January 2015.
Grateful… ~ Bette A. Stevens, Maine author/illustrator http://www.4writersandreaders.com
LOOKING FOR A LITTLE INSPIRATION?
Inspired by the wonder of it all… ~ Bette A. Stevens, Maine author/illustrator http://www.4writersandreaders.com
April is Earth Month. It’s a perfect time to celebrate with a copy of AMAZING MATILDA by Maine author/illustrator Bette A. Stevens’s award-winning children’s picture book for ONLY 99¢ through APRIL 26. Download this “Gem of a tale” at YOUR AMAZON today http://www.amazon.com/Amazing-Matilda-ebook/dp/B00AU9ZISA/
Words from a reviewer“I immediately fell in love with Matilda, an amazing, sweet, curious character. What a lovely story with a subtle and yet deep and understandable message for young (and those who are not so young ) readers. This book is one of “must have” books in your library. I already purchased a Kindle version for myself and I ordered two more copies in print for my library.” ~ Vida Zuljevic
Matilda says “It would be great if you would share this post with your friends so that kids everywhere can find out about the life lessons my book has in store for readers ages 5-11. Kids will learn important lessons about the value of patience, persistence and friendship as they read Matilda’s amazing adventure again and again. Grownups love Matilda too!”
About Monarch ButterfliesMonarch Butterfly conservation is in the news. AMAZING MATILDA is too! Her story line and illustrations follow the monarch life cycle and highlight milkweed, an environmentally threatened plant and a critical food source for monarch caterpillars.
Matilda doesn’t want to leap onto ledges or bound across fields. She only wants to fly. “How can a creature without wings every hope to fly?” Matilda’s friends wonder as they laugh at the tiny caterpillar who only wants to fly. Meanwhile, as Matilda munches and crunches on milkweed leaves and progresses from egg to butterfly, her friends begin to recall how they felt before they were able to do all of the things they had dreamed of doing. With a little help from her friends, Matilda learns that if she keeps trying, she can do anything that she really wants to do.
LITERARY AWARDS—Excellence in Children’s Literature:
AMAZING MATILDA, A Monarch’s Tale by Bette A. Stevens is available in print ($9.49) and eBook ($3.99) versions
Grab a copy of the eBook (Don’t forget to tell your friends) and Celebrate Earth Day with the kids while this award-winning picture book is ONLY 99 CENTS April 20-26 at Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/Amazing-Matilda-ebook/dp/B00AU9ZISA…
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Inspired by human nature, author Bette A. Stevens is a retired elementary and middle school teacher, a wife, mother of two and grandmother of five. Stevens lives in Central Maine with her husband on their 37-acre farmstead where she enjoys reading, writing, gardening, walking and reveling in the beauty of nature. She advocates for children and families, for childhood literacy and for the conservation of monarch butterflies-an endangered species (and milkweed, the only plant that monarch caterpillars will eat). Stevens is the author of AMAZING MATILDA, an award-winning picture book; The Tangram Zoo and Word Puzzles Too!, a home/school resource incorporating hands-on math and writing; and PURE TRASH, the short story prequel to her début novel, DOG BONE SOUP, a captivating Boomer’s coming of age novel.
Winter’s Last Hurrah
A poem of seasonal transition by Bette A. Stevens
First day of spring at the farmstead in Central Maine and more than migrating birds flutter about to entertain us. Snowflakes join the celebration. The flurry of Slate-colored Juncos and White-breasted Nuthatches (I managed to capture a snapshot of one at the feeder) don’t seem to mind at all.
Wonders of the seasons—they never cease to amaze us!
~ Bette A. Stevens, Maine author/illustrator
Find out more about birds mentioned in “Winter’s Last Hurrah”
Monarch butterflies—find out more about these amazing pollinators! ~ Bette A. Stevens, Maine author/illustrator and advocate for Monarch butterflies http://www.4writersandreaders.com
A Monarch butterfly caterpillar feeding on the leaves of a milkweed plant. Photographed at the Grapevine Botanical Gardens. Photo © TexasEagle/Flickr through a Creative Commons license, via TNC
We’ve covered monarch butterflies plenty of times in the past, whether it was reporting survey results showing that many households in the US would pay to help create habitat for the species, showcasing a citizen science project by the Xerces Society to count the winged invertebrates during their migration, or simply highlighting the needs of the orange butterfly in general and how to become involved. Now, given increased media coverage of the Monarch, the Cool Green Science blog for The Nature Conservancy is summarizing hazards and helpers of the species:
Twenty years ago, monarch butterflies occupied so much area in Mexico during the winter you could see it from space. It totaled about 20 hectares, or almost 50 acres, with…
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Dear Mrs. Glynn & Fourth Grade Students,
How exciting it was to check my mailbox last week and find all of your wonderful Thank You Letters. They really made my day. Your notes and illustrations are fantastic. There is nothing that makes an author happier than hearing from her fans. I’m so glad that you enjoyed AMAZING MATILDA. I definitely enjoyed meeting all of you, reading my book and having a book talk. You had so many great questions to ask me about writing and you offered excellent insights into the book’s messages.
I took a picture of your letters and thought you’d like to see it. So, here it is!
Letters from fourth grade fans in Hartland, Maine. ~ Photo by Bette A. Stevens, Maine author/illustrator
I keep a file called MY SMILE FILE and all of your amazing letters waiting for me there. That way, on gloomy days when I need a smile, I can read your letters and think of ALL OF YOU—Mrs. Gynn and her amazing fourth grade students!
I included both of my children’s books in the photo. You’ll find copies in your school library. Yes, I will be back to read to you again. My favorite genre is historical fiction. Nature and human nature (people) are the things that inspire me to write my books. I’ll be posting this letter on my web/blog http://www.4writersandreaders.com
Happy reading, writing and all of those other amazing things that you all do,
Bette A. Stevens, MAINE AUTHOR ILLUSTRATOR
Why write a book about a Monarch butterfly?
“I wanted readers of all ages, not only to learn about nature, but to learn from nature. Readers and listeners will discover facts about Monarchs and their habitat, all while they enjoy a tale filled with excitement and adventure. That’s the wonder of creative writing. Matilda and her friends not only teach lessons about patience and persistence, they show children that they can reach for their dreams and make them come true.”
~ Bette A. Stevens, Maine author/illustrator
http://bit.ly/19Qr3Y0 “Look Inside” at YOUR Amazon…
Purchase Paperback any time and Download eBook version for FREE at YOUR AMAZON today!
Monarch butterflies and their habitat are threatened —author Bette A. Stevens advocates for their protection and conservation. Find out more about the author and her books right here on the blog.
“Hope is a thing with feathers that perches on the soul…” one of my favorite lines from Emily Dickinson ~ Bette A. Stevens http://www.4writersandreaders.com
We must accept finite disappointment,
but never lose infinite hope.
~Martin Luther King, Jr.
Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all,
And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.
I’ve heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.
~Emily Dickinson
It has been my privilege to meet some incredible people through my blog. They are people I never knew to ask God for, but He has given them to me anyway. When I asked Him why He blessed me with their presence in my life, He let me know that it’s because they can fill my life in ways that no one else can. And it’s true…
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Come join us!
Bette A. Stevens, Maine Author 
Written
on 05/13/2016