Pamela McDowell's Blog

It's time to hit the road with my new book, Bats in Trouble! I'll be touring Southern Alberta starting July 19 with stops in Pincher Creek, Lethbridge, and Waterton, meeting readers and talking about my favourite eco-superhero - BATS!

Thursday, July 19 Join me for Bats in Your Backyard, a presentation and book signing at the Pincher Creek Library, 899 Main Street, 11:00 - 12:00

Thursday, July 19 Meet me for a presentation all about bats at the Lethbridge Public Library, Main Branch, 810 - 5 Avenue S, 2:00 - 3:00

Friday, July 20 Learn why bats are superheroes and how they are in danger at a presentation at the Helen Schuler Nature Centre, Lethbridge, 1:00 - 2:00

Saturday, July 21 I'll visit the Lethbridge Public Library, Crossings Branch, for a presentation and reading, 255 Britannia Blvd West, 10:00 - 11:00

Saturday, July 21 Celebrate Parks Day in Waterton and join me at the Book Nook to pick up a signed copy of Bats in Trouble and your very own origami bat, 108 Waterton Avenue, 1:00 - 4:00

Sunday, July 22 The last stop on the book tour is at Indigo Lethbridge, 701 - 1st Avenue South, where I'll be meeting readers and signing books 11:30 - 4:00

Are you ready for some cupcakes? It's time for another book birthday! Hooray!

The third book in the series featuring Cricket McKay and her friends hits shelves in just a few weeks and we're ready to celebrate! We'll talk about bats, look at some cool photos, I'll read a bit of the book, and we might even make an origami bat to take home. And - of course - there will be cupcakes! Everyone is welcome at this fun event:

When: Thursday, October 19, 2017 7:00pm
Where: Owl's Nest Books, 815A - 49th Avenue SW, Calgary

In this new book, Cricket and her best friend, Shilo, are enjoying the last few weeks of summer vacation on Grandpa McKay's farm when they make a shocking discovery - dead bats. The girls have a theory that the newly-installed wind turbines might be what's killing them. Now they need to figure out a way to get the power company's attention and save the bats!

Shortly after Justin Trudeau was elected as Canada's 23rd prime minister, my editor asked me to write a book about him for the Canadian Prime Ministers series for students in Grades 3 - 5. This was fun and a huge challenge, because my deadline was March 14 - only 20 weeks after Trudeau was sworn into office! How could I possibly write about his accomplishments as a prime minister when he hadn't really done much yet? I've never had a challenge quite like this one.

The background on Justin Trudeau is interesting, the photos are fabulous, and the book is a good resource that can be found in libraries and schools across Canada. If you've read it (and even if you haven't) test yourself with this new quiz to see how much you know about Prime Minister Trudeau.

Justin Trudeau

The Diary of Anne Frank has been studied for decades by millions of school children around the world. How well do you know Anne Frank? Test yourself with a new quiz I created from information in my new book for grade 3 - 5 students. This book is part of the Icons series published by Weigl Educational Books and contains many great photos of Anne and her family. You might find it in your school or public library!

It’s official! I’ll be rolling out on my first ever book tour this month celebrating Salamander Rescue ! I’ll head south on July 13 and bounce around between Lethbridge, Pincher Creek and Waterton, meeting readers and talking about the coolest critter you might never meet: the long-toed salamander!

Wednesday, July 13 Join me for a presentation and book signing at the Lethbridge Public Library, Main Branch, 810 – 5 Avenue South, 10:00 – 11:00 am

Thursday, July 14 Another presentation and book signing in Lethbridge at the West Branch of the Lethbridge Public Library, 255 Britannia Blvd West, 10:00 – 11:00 am

Thursday, July 14 Join me at the Pincher Creek Library for a presentation and book signing, 899 Main Street, 1:30 – 2:30 pm

Saturday, July 16 Canada Parks Day 2016! Join me in Waterton for the launch of Salamander Rescue during the Parks Day festivities, 2:00 – 4:00 pm, in the middle of town

Sunday, July 17 The last stop on the book tour is at Chapters Lethbridge, 701 – 1st Avenue South, where I’ll be meeting readers and signing books, 11:00 am – 4:00 pm

It's almost here! Waiting for a new book birthday reminds me of how excited I got about birthdays as a kid - not because of the presents but because of the cupcakes!

Salamander Rescue is my newest book and we're going to celebrate its launch on May 10 in Calgary. I'll talk a bit about Waterton's salamanders, read some of the book, and then we'll have cupcakes. You are welcome to join me at 7:00 pm at Owl's Nest Books, 815A - 49th Avenue SW, Calgary.

Salamander Rescue is an eco-adventure story about one of the smallest species in Waterton Lakes National Park: the long-toed salamander. When a new curb blocks the salamanders' migration route, Cricket and her friends jump into action once again to save a species in imminent danger using the tools they have at hand - lemonade and cement. The story is full of animal encounters - bears, horses, kittens, fawns, and of course, salamanders.

I love to do research. When I started to research ospreys for my children's book, Ospreys in Danger, I found so many cool facts that I couldn't include in the book. I've probably got 70 pages of research, but was allowed a maximum of only 7,000 words for my story!

I share a lot of that research with students when I visit schools. And I've put a lot of it on my website. If you are curious about the special adaptations an osprey has to help it catch fish, check out this blog entry:
http://pamelamcdowell.ca/airborne-pre...

And leave a comment - I'm curious to know what you find most interesting about ospreys!

I am thrilled to share the news -- Ospreys in Danger has been shortlisted for the Green Earth Book Awards! These awards honour books that inspire children to grow a deeper appreciation, respect and responsibility for nature.

There are five categories for the awards, including fiction and non-fiction. I am excited and honoured to see Ospreys in Danger in the company of so many beautiful and important books. Winners will be announced on Earth Day, April 22, 2015, and awards will be presented during the Read Green Festival in Washington, D.C., this fall.

Check out this link for the full list of nominated books http://www.natgen.org/uncategorized/4...
Thanks so much to my publisher, Orca Books, and The Nature Generation for this honour.

Martin Luther King Day isn't just another holiday in the United States, it is a time to look back at how far we have travelled on the road to equality - and to look forward to how far we have to go. You can test your knowledge of Martin Luther King, Jr. and his accomplishments with this quiz. The information can all be found in the biography I wrote for Grades 3 - 5 students - except for the last question, which is a bit of a bonus question. Have fun and let me know how well you do!

If you have finished reading Chapter Three of Ospreys in Danger, here’s a little quiz to see how much you remember. The very first line of the book is “I love the smell of Mondays.” Do you remember which character said that? And what do Mondays smell like, anyway? You can look back in the book if you can’t recall the answers – and remember, this quiz is only for the first three chapters, pages 1 – 19.