CLiF would like to introduce or re-introduce you to Steve Swinburne of South Londonderry, VT. Steve is a life-long naturalist and explorer of wild places. “As an author, I love writing about wildlife and this amazing and beautiful planet we share. As a guitar and ukulele player, I love connecting music and nature.” Watch his intro video!

Watch a clip of Steve’s presentation from CLiF’s Virtual Author’s Series here.

Things to think about:

• Steve has written A LOT of non-fiction books. What inspires you?
• Steve grew up in London, how did you develop a love of nature?
• Steve also has created photo books. How do photographs and words work together?
• How do you define poemusic? How do you tell stories differently with music?
• What are the best ways for kids to protect nature?

Here are a few ways to get to know Steve’s work better:

• Hear Safe in a Storm – read and sung
• Watch the Sea Turtle Scientist trailer
• Look for more resources on Ocean Soup: Tide Pool Poems
• For teachers: curriculum guides for Steve’s books
• Read Steve’s tips for making non-fiction writing come to life
• See videos of Steve reading poems, rapping, and talking about nature

CLiF has created literacy activities for students of all ages here. Here are some that would go nicely with Steve’s work:

For younger kids:

• Found Object Poem – create a poem about a nature item
• Where have you been? – put animals you learn about on a map

For older kids:

• Book Spine Poetry – write a nature poem
• Dictionary Words – write and illustrate a dictionary of nature terms

For families:

• Extra, Extra – make a family newspaper (or version of National Geographic) with nature stories
• Photography, Writing, Community – use photos in your newspaper