Sometimes there’s a lot of “story” behind the story. Sometimes there’s not much – there’s just the story. I’d put Badger’s Perfect Garden in the latter group.

Although my manuscript and book themes stretch over a wide landscape, recently I’ve been enjoying writing about woodland creatures, as in May I Come In?  I love badgers in stories, so my main character in this book is again a badger, as in Waiting for Snow. 

The reason I wandered into a book about gardens is probably because I’ve been surrounded by gardens all my life. Also, my father’s family has been farmers for generations. My Grandmother Krehbiel lived on a farm all her life and planted vegetables for a family of 10. But she didn’t forget the flowers. Her yard was abundant with color and fragrance – iris, spirea, Bachelor Button, petunias, lilacs.  My Grandmother Lippincott moved around a lot, but she always found a spot in which to plant flowers. Her favorites were hollyhocks and sweetpeas. When I lived in Northern California, I had a half acre of flowers and heirloom fruit trees – 50 heirloom roses, lavender, sage, iris, peonies, lilacs (a challenge in California!) and much more.

That perfection bit? Well, I’ve always been a bit of a perfectionist. As I age, I’ve let go of some of my perfectionism. When I do, I find lovely surprises awaiting me, just as Badger did.

• 2019 Florida Book Awards Bronze Medal
• 2020-2021 Pennsylvania Keystone to Reading Elementary Book Award Nominee
• 2020 Growing Good Kids Excellence in Children’s Literature Award, selected by the
• American Horticultural Society and National Junior Master Gardener Program

Kirkus

Midwest Book Review

Geolibrarian

Feathered Quill

Picture Book Depot