Maude Delap and Her Mesmerizing Medusas
A TRUE TALE WITH
A CHERRY ON TOP
Charlesbridge
(pub. 4.22.25)
32 pages
Ages 7 - 10
Author: Michelle Cusolito
Illustrator: Ellen Rooney
Character: Maude Delap
Overview:
"Maude scoops a jellyfish out of the water and embarks on more than a year of observation of the animal, accomplishing something countless other scientists were unable to do: trace the life cycle of a jellyfish and understand the creature’s metamorphosis from larva to adult.
Her painstaking observations of a compass jellyfish in 1899-1900 laid the foundation for research still ongoing today."
Tantalizing taste:
"Maude didn't attend school because she was expected to become a wife and mother. She's neither. Instead, she's an expert in the marine life on Valentia, her island home...
Caring for the polyps is tedious, but Maude never wavers...
Throughout the winter - in heavy gales and stormy seas - Maude battles the surf to collect food and ocean water."
And something more: The section, Maude Delap (1866-1953) Her Life and Work, explains that "Maude's scientific work was so respected, she was offered a fellowship at Plymouth Marine Biological Station in England in 1906. According to Maude's great-nephew, Maude's father said, 'No daughter of mine will leave home except as a married woman.' Maude was forty. She didn't go, but she was named an honorary associate fellow anyway."
I was invited to be a guest blogger for NF Fest 2025! I was inspired by notes from a fly tying class with my son. Some of the fly tying tips struck me as advice one can use in writing children’s picture book bios!
Published March 5, 2025
by Jeanne Walker Harvey
I recently came across notes I took when I joined my son, a fishing fanatic, in a fly-tying class. He quickly engaged in the process, while I realized (after fumbling with the tiny bits of thread, feathers and beads) that I was better off with pen and paper tools. Some of the fly-tying tips struck me as advice one can use in writing children’s nonfiction books.
1. Reference – Gather information on hatches, baits, fish, and tying techniques.
Or in my case, as an author of picture book biographies, I try to gather as much information about the person that I’m considering featuring, and preferably from primary sources (interviews, letters, diaries, videos, etc.) And, just as it’s important for someone tying a particular fly, say a wooly bugger, to learn about a particular insect’s habitat, it’s necessary for me to learn about a person’s world – the politics, history, customs of the time. I may not include these details in the finished manuscript, but they guide me in my writing about the person’s life or experiences.
2. Materials – Don’t get hung up on finding exact materials from a recipe. Use what you have.
I can get lost in the incredibly enticing world of research. Sometimes I need to tell myself to stop gathering information, and instead face that blank page and begin writing. I can always go back and gather more specifics, if needed.
3. Thread tension – Pull at about 80% of the thread’s breaking strength.
I’m always trying to think about the throughline of my story when I’m writing it. What is the central, unifying idea or theme that holds my narrative together. What are the challenges or obstacles the person faces? What does the person seek to achieve? What will connect to the child reader?
In my upcoming picture book biography, THE GLASS PYRAMID: A Story of the Louvre Museum and Architect I.M. Pei (Atheneum/Simon & Schuster), I hit upon the throughline idea of I.M. Pei “planting and growing” the pyramid in a way that addressed the redesign needs of the Louvre, despite challenges and setbacks (resistance from the French, discrimination as a Chinese American, etc.).
4. Finishing: Use a whip finish or half hitch to finish your fly for a solid finish
I’m always seeking a solid ending to a manuscript, and in the case of THE GLASS PYRAMID, I was able to weave in (after many rewrites) my theme:
“What began as I.M.’s secret Louvre project
blossomed into a cherished symbol of France.
In the splendid garden of Paris,
Ieoh Ming Pei patiently planted
and then grew
a glorious glass pyramid.”
5. Steam: Steam your finished flies to rejuvenate them.
When I finish a manuscript, I always ask others to read and critique the finished draft to “rejuvenate” it. But because we write nonfiction, it’s sometimes tricky because other fiction authors may suggest plot additions that are not accurate or supported by evidence. So instead, I ask for their thoughts on clarity of information, pacing, and engagement.
And after I’ve tackled these tips, I toss my finished manuscript out into the publishing waters, and hope for a bite! But no matter what, the process of writing the manuscript (or tying the fly) is always rewarding for me. And so for any of you seeking to tie together a nonfiction piece, I hope you enjoy the process and wish you all the best!
About the Author:
Jeanne loves writing picture book biographies about creative people who overcame challenges. In addition to THE GLASS PYRAMID, her books include ELSE B. IN THE SEA: The Woman Who Painted the Wonders of the Deep; ABLAZE WITH COLOR: A Story of Painter Alma Thomas; DRESSING UP THE STARS: The Story of Movie Costume Designer Edith Head; MAYA LIN: Artist – Architect of Light and Lines; and MY HANDS SING THE BLUES: Romare Bearden.
She studied English literature and psychology at Stanford University, and lives in Sonoma, California. You can learn more at jeanneharvey.com or follow her on X or Insta @jeannewharvey
The Life and Language of Beloved Writer Toni Morrison
A TRUE TALE WITH
A CHERRY ON TOP
Quill Tree Books
(Harper Collins Publishers)
(pub. 4.2.2024)
48 pages
Ages 4 - 8
Author: Carole Boston Weatherford
Illustrator: Khalif Tahir Thompson
Character: Toni Morrison
Overview:
" How do you tell a story?
Before Toni Morrison was a Pulitzer Prize winner and Nobel Prize–winning author, she was Chloe Ardelia Wofford, a little girl in Ohio who was both the only Black child in her first-grade classroom and the only student who was able to read.
This is the true story of how that young girl learned from her upbringing, surrounded herself with stories, and made a tremendous impact on the world. Toni Morrison’s pen was her sword, and she grew to be a titan of the arts. Her legacy is one that still touches readers to this day."
Tantalizing taste:
"Before long, you join in telling stories
and fall under the spell of the spoken word.
You so love language that by first grade,
you - the sole Black student in the room -
are the only one who can read. All by yourself.
No one can call you second-class.
That means a lot at a time when laws and leaders
keep Blacks at the bottom of the ladder."
And something more: Carole Boston Weatherford shared in the Author's Note: "In 1979, I took my first trip to California. At a bookstore in Berkeley, I bought The Black Book... Never before had I seen such a wealth of Black culture in one place, let alone between the covers of a book...I have read and studied many of Toni Morrison's novels, and I consider her a literary mentor. However, it was not until I wrote this biography that I realized she also conceived The Black Book. For that, I am eternally grateful."
