Fostering curiosity in kids (and their parents) since 2011
My Books & Such
NOTE: This post contains affiliate links to Bookshop.org, an online bookstore that provides financial support to local, independent bookstores. At the time this post was updated in December 2024, Bookshop.org had already raised more than $35m for local bookstores. If you use the links in this post to purchase my books on Bookshop.org or through the Caterpickles Bookstore, I’ll earn a commission on your book purchase, as will your preferred independent bookshop. Regardless of whether you use my links or visit the Caterpickles Bookstore, I’m glad you spent part of your day reading Caterpickles. Learn more about Affiliate Links, the Caterpickles Bookstore, and why I decided to become a Bookshop.org Affiliate. (Although this post also contains Amazon and Barnes & Noble links, I am not an affiliate of either company.)
My Books
Both of the books I’ve published so far are natural extensions of all the writing I’ve done about fostering curiosity in children (and their parents) here on Caterpickles.
What’s That, Mom?: How to use public art to engage your children with the world around them… without being an artist yourself
ISBN: 978-0998289106
Every time your child asks you a question, what he or she is really doing is inviting you to have a conversation. Even better, your child is telling you exactly what he or she wants to talk about. All you have to do is allow yourself to participate.
But what do you do if your child wants to talk about something you don’t know anything about, like art?
Fortunately, you don’t have to know all the answers just to have a conversation.
What’s That, Mom? provides 15 accessible, practical strategies for using public art to spark conversations with children between the ages of 3 and 10 — no artistic talent or insight required.
Find What’s That, Mom? in the Caterpickles Bookstore or use the buttons below to order through Amazon, Bookshop.org, Barnes & Noble, or directly from IngramSpark.
What’s That, Mom?: Field Notes from Your Encounters with Public Art out in the Wild
ISBN: 978-0998289137
The wonderful thing about public art is that it is all around us, sparking our children’s curiosity and prompting conversations.
The terrible thing about public art is that it’s art, and art feels like one of those subjects you can’t talk about unless you have a degree in it or a talent for making it.
This journal is designed to offer families a structure for exploring public art together. My hope is that this journal will help you deepen your relationship with your children and build memories that your entire family will recall fondly later on. If in the process, you can convert public art from something you exclaim over vaguely into something you actively explore, so much the better.
Find My Books
In addition to the Caterpickles Bookstore, Bookshop.org, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other online book retailers, my books are available locally through Blue Bunny Toys & Books in Dedham, Massachusetts.
Professional / Scholarly Articles
Once upon a time, I worked as a contributing editor to networking magazine that has long since stopped publication. I never intended really to resume this aspect of my writing career, but being in graduate school has opened up some opportunities to publish shorter form pieces once again.
- My book review: “Decentering Whiteness in Libraries: A Framework for Inclusive Collection Management, Andrea Jamison” was published in the December 2024 issue of the SJSU Student Research Journal.
I have another article undergoing peer review, and I'll add a link to it here if / when it is published. But it might be a while. The academic publication process is a lot slower than publishing in the professional press. I've been working on that book review publication for just over a year now.
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