Welcome to SCBWI-MI's Book Birthday Blog!

Where we celebrate new books from Michigan's authors, illustrators and translators.

Congratulations to Buffy Silverman on the release of On a Flake-Flying Day

You've included back matter in the book, and you mentioned in an earlier book birthday interview writing those entries can be a challenge. Please describe your research approach.

Each of the twenty-four two-word sentences in ON A FLAKE-FLYING DAY has its own back matter entry. I usually refer to three or more sources as I’m writing an entry, so I do a lot of googling to find reliable sources! For example, the photo for FEATHERS FLASH shows a flock of snow geese. The back matter entry describes the route of snow geese migration, how flocks forage in farmers’ fields in winter, and how they seek safety in wetlands at night. One of my go-to sources for accurate bird natural history is the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. While writing this entry I read the Lab of O’s website pages about snow geese, looked at range maps, and found an interesting you-tube presentation about winter snow geese. I’m always happy when I can find a video of what I’m trying to describe, because seeing the action helps me find the right words. I also put on my former nature-educator hat and imagine what I would ask and tell kids to spark their interest in the amazing sights that are presented in the book.

What is something you hope your readers will take away from your book?

I hope readers (young and old) will be inspired to go outside in all seasons and closely observe the plants and animals they find. The environmental problems that we face can be overwhelming. But I believe a desire to solve those problems can arise from a childhood of sloshing through streams, finding grasshoppers, and climbing trees.

You've written 90-plus non-fiction books. Where do you find inspiration for your stories?

Many of those 90-plus books were series books for educational publishers, so the topics were assigned by editors. For an assigned topic, the inspiration to write comes out of digging into my research and becoming fascinated with the subject-matter. The ideas for ON A FLAKE-FLYING DAY and its two companion books (ON A SNOW-FLYING DAY and ON A GOLD-BLOOMING DAY) were mine and came from what is closest to my heart—they are filled with the critters that I watch and wonder about every day as I tromp through fields, forests, and wetlands.

What are your marketing plans for the book and where can we find it?

The first thing I’m doing is this blog interview—thank you SCBWI-MI! I hope that all of you will request ON A FLAKE-FLYING DAY at your library (most libraries have a book-request form online.) You can also purchase the book from any online bookstore or from Lerner Books. I am part of SteamTeam books, an author-group that promotes STEM-oriented books of members. I’ll be sharing ON A FLAKE-FLYING DAY at the Kellogg Manor House children’s day in December. Luckily for me, Millbrook Press/Lerner Books does a wonderful job of marketing their books to libraries and schools.

What's next for you?

I am working on a novel-in-verse right now, which is a new challenge for me. I’m also revising/writing a couple of picture books.

More about the book . . .

With winter’s arrival, plants and animals hunker down for the cold season. Rhyming text and eye-catching photos sparkle in this wonderful read-aloud that encourages kids to closely observe the natural world. Back matter offers more information on the featured animals, plants, and weather conditions.

Publisher: Millbrook Press/Lerner Books

More about the author . . .

Buffy Silverman is the author of over 90 nonfiction books for children, featuring topics from Angel Sharks to Alligators, and Mars to Monster Trucks. Her recent book, On a Snow-Melting Day: Seeking Signs of Spring, received a star from Kirkus Reviews and was an NCTE 2021 Notable Poetry Book. A companion book, on a Gold-Blooming Day: Finding Fall Treasures, was a CLA/NCTE 2023 Notable Book in the Language Arts. She lives at the swampy end of a small lake where she enjoys outdoor time with her dog, watching and photographing nature, and writing poetry.

Twitter: @BuffySilverman

Facebook: Buffy Silverman