Aloha!! I am very excited to introduce my newest illustrated book, Honey Girl: The Hawaiian Monk Seal, written by Jeanne Walker Harvey.
Hawaiian locals and visitors always enjoy spotting endangered Hawaiian monk seals, but Honey Girl is an extra special case. She has raised seven pups, and scientists call her “Super Mom.” After Honey Girl is injured by a fishhook, she gets very sick. Scientists and veterinarians work to save Honey Girl so she can be released back to the ocean. This true story will have readers captivated to learn more about this endangered species.
To research the book's illustrations, I flew from Boston to Oahu to visit the habitats of Honey Girl. I met with monk seal volunteers and workers who shared their stories of R5AY (aka Honey Girl) and monk seals. My heartfelt thanks goes out to Donna Festa (Lanikai General Store owner) who spent a few days helping me track down monk seals, Diane Gabriel (guide to Honey Girl's beach habitats) who brought me to all of Honey Girl's favorite beaches, Dana Jones (helped Honey Girl during rehab) who shared with me her first hand experiences with Honey Girl, and D. B. Dunlap (The Seal Whisperer) who showed me the hidden world of monk seals on Rabbit Island. I also visited Deb Wickham on the Big Island (Ke Kai Ola Hospital for Monk Seals at Kailua-Kona) who knew just where to find a beached seal. My Hawaiian highlight was visiting the Mt. Kilauea active volcano on the Big Island and climbing over lava formations to reach a beach and observe a seal at sunset.
The Ke Kai Ola Hospital for Monk Seals at Kailua-Kona is run by The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito. This is the amazing hospital that cared for Astro: The Steller Sea Lion, also written by Jeanne Walker Harvey. Jeanne is a dear friend of mine, and I was very fortunate to meet up with her in California on my way home from Hawaii. No trip would be complete without our stopping by The Marine Mammal Center for a visit! My special thanks to you, Jeanne!
While I'm mentioning these two Arbordale books, I'd also like to give a shout out to A Case of Sense, written by Songju Ma Daemicke.
A Case of Sense is a Kansas NEA Reading Circle Catalog Selection for 2017 and a Monarch Award Nominee.
While Ming plays outside one summer day, the smell of delicious food fills the air. It is coming from greedy Fu Wang’s house. “What is he up to?” wonders Ming. To his alarm, Fu Wang demands that all the neighbors pay him for the pleasant smells. When the neighbors refuse, the case goes to court. How will the judge rule in this unusual case and will justice be served? Can Fu Wang make money from the neighbors’ sense of smell? A wise judge makes use of another sense to close the case with clever and convincing logic.
I've been a wee bit busy illustrating my next Arbordale book, Night Creepers, written by Linda Stanek. Look for Night Creepers to be released later this year in the fall.
Night Creepers has the same author, Linda Stanek, as Once Upon an Elephant.
I also have a few more postcards available:
If you would like me to send you a limited edition Achoo! Why Pollen Counts postcard, email me your name and address at sbersani(at)mac(dot)com. I'll be happy to send one out to you - while this batch lasts.
You can check out my complete Arbordale collection here.
Or check out many more of my books from other publishers on Amazon here. I'm illustrating my 27th picture book, so there are a lot to choose from. You can also scroll through this blog's archives and read more about past releases.