Author Beth Ferry

Happy Friday! I'm driving to New Richmond, Wisconsin, today after school in order to attend the St. Croix Valley Reading Council meeting tomorrow morning. If you looked inside my car right now, you would see three audio books (Pluto, Strider, and Ralph S. Mouse), an elephant, a bear, a turtle, a whale, and three tote bags filled with books. A copy of Beth Ferry's Stick and Stone is inside the Little Elliot, Big City bag. 

It just so happens that Beth Ferry is today's special guest. She dropped by to chat with me about Tom Lichtenheld, her forthcoming picture books, reading, school libraries, and her favorite word. I wrote the words in orange, and she wrote the words in black. Thank you, Beth! 

Stick and Stone tells the story of the power of friendship. It’s a fun twist on the childhood rhyme and shows how one word or one act of kindness can not only make a difference, but can even make a lifelong friend.

Illustration Credit: Tom Lichtenheld

I think Tom Lichtenheld’s illustrations are Terrific, Outstanding, Magnificent! His creativity might very well be unsurpassed. I love his energy, his use of color and his entire style. He came up with many different possibilities for the story and each one was better than the last. He brought Stick and Stone to life in a way an author can only dream of.

Land Shark, Pirate’s Perfect Pet, and Swashby and the Sea are my upcoming titles, releasing in July 2015, Fall 2016 and 2017 respectively.

Land Shark (Chronicle Books) is illustrated by Ben Mantle and tells the tale of a shark-loving boy who cannot be converted to a dog-loving boy no matter how much his dog acts like a shark. Or can he?

Pirate’s Perfect Pet (Candlewick), illustrated by Matt Myers, follows a pirate’s journey as he searches for the perfect pet.

And Swashby and the Sea (HMH) is the story of an unlikely friendship between a retired pirate and his new neighbors.

As you probably noticed, I have an affinity for pirates, pets and alliteration.

Elena Giovinazzo and I are great friends! She is smart, enthusiastic, dedicated and an absolutely brilliant agent. She challenges me to write the best stories I can and works tirelessly to find them the right home.

Click here for more behind-the-scenes information. 

School libraries are playgrounds for the mind, where the cold never bites and the wind never blows and it never, ever snows except in your imagination.

Download the Stick and Stone activity kit. 

Reading is Essential with a capital E, which also stands for Excellent, Empowering, Entertaining, Educational, Exciting and Enjoyable.

Explore Beth Ferry's website. 

Mr. Schu, you should have asked me what my favorite word is. It’s, wait for it, - Anticipation. It’s wonderful to have good things to look forward to – especially new books!

Borrow Stick and Stone from your school or public library. Whenever possible, please support independent bookshops.