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It's that time of year! And ready it not, it has sneakily crept up on us ~ back-to-school season has arrived.
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I admit it took a little while to settle into my summer routine, so July and August seemed to fly by. When friends and family asked, "How are you liking retirement?" I honestly couldn't find the words to explain how I felt. I hadn't worked a summer day in the eight years since we sold the campground, and I have so many warm weather hobbies like gardening, photography, kayaking, hiking, that this summer felt the same as the last few. Busy. I was trying to cram in all my favorite things, forgetting I wasn't heading back into the classroom in September. I even automatically blocked off the week before school starts so David and I could have one last summer adventure.
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But THIS week, seeing all the back to school photos on social media, and hearing my teaching friends excitedly chit chat as they geared up for another school year . . . it began to sink in I was retired. My feelings were at war with themselves; on the one hand I had all Fall to knock some more to-do's off my list. I had more time to write. On the other hand, I really, really did enjoy being in the classroom encouraging and mentoring young authors, readers and wildlife lovers. In the end, I had to remind myself that I could have the best of both worlds. . . through my school and library visits. Virtual visits. And yes, even snail mail and email connections.
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It was time to get the word out that I had some extra author visit slots to fill this year.
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Read on below to learn more about how I can connect with your readers and find out where I'll be presenting next. Get a "berry" good book recommendation, and hear about my summer adventure discovering two banded loons and how it could be used alongside Cooper and Packrat's Mystery of the Bear Cub.
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Click my books above to learn more about Cooper and Packrat's wildlife adventures. If you purchase one or more from the set for a favorite reader in your life, please let me know. I'd love to send them a note, bookmarks and even a wildlife postcard or two!
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Upcoming Author Events
September 12th ~ Gibbs Library ~ Washington, Maine
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Cooper And Packrat In The Library,
The Classroom And Beyond!
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I ran an all day, every day, recreation program in our campground for 25 plus years. I was also a teaching assistant in a Special Education, all inclusive classroom at Whittier Middle School in Poland for 15 years. I have always loved working, speaking with, and teaching children of all ages. And now that I'm retired, I'd love to add more opportunities to meet readers to my calendar each year.
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I know it's not always easy to have an author personally visit your classroom or library, but there are other ways for us to connect! Click the buttons below to find the perfect way to bring Cooper and Packrat to your readers!
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Should you use any of our resources, please reach out and let me know! I'm happy to discuss the possibility of connecting with your readers through the activities, email, letters or even a quick video chat.
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School Visits 2026-27
My most popular school visit is Descriptive Words Matter!
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Using wildlife photos from my hiking and kayaking experiences, I show how hands-on research helps me find the perfect describing words to create a clear picture for my readers as they follow along with the story. I also model how to layer describing words within a sentence. I teach that finding and using descriptive words can be fun!
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Tamra delivered a truly memorable and interactive presentation that kept our students completely engaged from start to finish. She shared personal stories of her own journey, forming a genuine connection with the students. By doing so, she showed them how research and the writing process work and made it feel attainable for everyone. She didn't just talk about books; she inspired young readers and authors to see themselves as creators with their own stories to tell. If you have the chance to bring Tamra to your school, don't hesitate—your students will be talking about it for years to come ~ Heather Karagiannes, RSU1, 2026
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Library Visits 2026-27
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Using my wildlife photography, I talk a little about what it was like running a campground, and a lot about my wildlife research for all five books. I explain how the wildlife behavior I've seen through my camera lens inspired opening scenes and plots within the series. Photos within the presentation include campground images, nesting loons and eagles, fox kit videos, backyard visitors and more! To wrap up, I also play an active wildlife fact game.
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I love, love, love to read aloud! Reading aloud helps bring a closeness between you and your reader. Whether you're in the classroom or cuddling up with a good book before bedtime, read-alouds give ample opportunity for thoughtful discussion.
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With this in mind, I created some virtual read-alouds for Cooper and Packrat's eco-mysteries. Each chapter has backstory commentary woven in to help inspire and jump start your reader's imaginations as they open to page one and dive into an adventure.
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Through the link above, you'll find free curriculum guides developed by Shannon Shanning, Maine's 2013 Teacher of the Year, as well as classroom activities she and I developed. You'll find notes and worksheets on Priming The Pump before reading, research links for geocaching, loons, recycling, writing activities, science links and much, much more. All the fun activities listed under each book have been tested several times over the years and been given a seal of approval by our students.
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Compare Bird Nest Sizes Against An Eagle's Nest
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Sketch Notes During Read Aloud which can be used to recap before the next chapter
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Text to Self sticky notes
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Matching Game: How Long Does It Take For Trash To Decompose In The Wild?
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See a description of this game below.
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Read and Read S'more!
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While signing books and meeting readers in Islandport Press' booth at the Maine Print and Book Festival in Waterville this summer, my eyes kept drifting to the gorgeous cover of Rebecca Rule's Who Loves Blueberries?
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I admit I have a hard time holding back from from buying books at my book signings. Sometimes I go home with more books than readers bought off my signing table! But I know a special little girl who loves berries. All kinds of berries. Especially blueberries. Add to that, my granddaughter also loves wildlife, and before I knew it, I was reaching for the book.
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The illustrations by Arpita Choudhury are gorgeous! The book follows a long and varied parade of wildlife in a blueberry barren. Each page turn introduces a new blueberry lover; from bees and caterpillars, to mice, fox, moose and bear-- But who loves the blueberries most of all?
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In the back matter you'll find blueberry facts and the animals they support.
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I'm looking forward to reading this book with my granddaughter Emily - with a bowl of blueberries within reach of course!
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Wildlife Encounters
Banded Loons
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Back on July 18th-ish, which was also Maine's Loon Counting Day, I saw four loons traveling across the lake toward my frontage. I ran down with my camera to take photos. Truth be told, I was supposed to be packing for a trip to see my granddaughter.
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It wasn't until I was home and editing them (a couple hours later!), that I noticed one of the loons was banded: a white band with a black dot - over a red band on the left leg, and on the right leg, you'll see a green band over a silver band. To say I was excited was an understatement. I knew this loon had an important story.
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I reached out to my friend Melissa at the Maine Audubon, who put me in touch with Micah, a Waterbird Research Scientist with the Biodiversity Research Institute (BRI). Micah graciously told me the story of the female banded loon visiting our pond. He said this female loon and her mate have nested together for years right around the corner from us. They usually have chicks, but not this year.
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In 2023, Rob and Sue, who live in the area and monitor this pair, discovered the female was horribly tangled in fishing line and she had a hook in her right foot. They reported it. Micah (BRI) and biologist Bill Hansen rescued her, removed the line and hook, took blood to test for lead and mercury, banded her and released her. They also banded her mate.
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Fast forward to this Spring, when they again discovered the female loon was in trouble. She had a lure caught in her right foot for a second time. Micah mentioned that loons without chicks are hard to catch so they decided to only monitor her and watch how she fared. She couldn't dive to eat her usual diet of fish, so they were hoping she didn't get weak or sick. But she did manage to eat snails instead. (I had no idea loons ate snails!) The lure did eventually come off. She began swimming and diving for fish again, but still, they monitored her to be sure she fully recovered.
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But shortly before the Maine Loon count, she left her pond. Rob, Sue and Micah wondered where she'd gone and how she was doing. Then they got my email. Everyone in the chain was so happy to hear the female loon was here and doing well. They asked me to look out for her mate, who is also banded, just to see if he'd follow her here.
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One of the people who watch out for them, Rob Crosby, told me that either the female or her mate (he's not sure who) was also found in trouble prior to being banded. He said he'd discovered the loon washed up on land, fishing line through its bill and around its wings, unable to move, therefore unable to get back in the water. He freed and released it. That makes three times this pair has collectively been in danger and were rescued.
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Just a week or two ago, I confirmed the female loon's mate is here with her! I was so excited all over again. I captured an image with his left leg bands while he was preening: green band with a white stripe over a yellow band. I've been out at least once a week to check on them since I discovered them, and each time I try to determine if the two we now see regularly continue to be the banded pair. Everyone I've talked to is wondering if this pair will choose our lake as their nesting spot next Spring.
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I'm excited to have this pair visiting our lake, as we've not had a nesting pair since I moved here. Listening to their soulful call every night, and their connection hoot every day, has been such a blessing.
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I plan to use this story as a cautionary tale when I visit schools and libraries, especially if they've read Mystery of the Bear Cub. Cooper's fourth adventure highlights the dangers of trash to wildlife. Fishing line is especially dangerous to marine animals because it doesn't break down, it's very strong and it's almost invisible in the water. Turtles, fish and diving birds swim through its loops. There have been cases of birds of all sizes using it to line their nests, and when their hatchlings are born, they become tangled and trapped causing almost certain death.
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Shannon and I have a game we've played students before beginning Mystery of the Bear Cub, so they could understand the important message woven under the adventure. We made a pile of actual trash; glass and plastic bottles, aluminum cans, fishing line, plastic bag, a woolen sock, paper bag and more. Then we introduced corresponding cards with the number of years it takes to break each piece of trash down.
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Students try to match the years with the items while discussing topics such as why it might take glass a million years, as opposed to a tin can which takes 50 years to completely decompose and what are the ways six pack rings and fishing line a danger to animals if left in the wild? Shannon and I were surprised by the level of conversation that sparked from this activity, including the importance of banding wildlife so they can help us learn more about their behaviors.
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As always, if you use any of our resources in your classroom, please reach out and let me know. Not only do I love to connect with young authors and readers, but I love to connect with teachers, too.
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Writing News and Wildlife Sightings!
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