King of the Tightrope

Select sources & quote sources for King of the Tightrope

What happens when there’s not enough space in a picture book for the Sources? They’re moved here, for ready access. So, here ya go, dear readers. A condensed list of the sources I accessed during my research for King of the Tightrope: When the Great Blondin Ruled Niagara, illustrated by Adam Gustavson, and published by… Read more »

Hear pronunciations for the French terms in King of the Tightrope

Hello, readers! When you open up King of the Tightrope: When the Great Blondin Ruled Niagara, you’ll notice that the story is peppered with French words and phrases. It’s fun to guess the pronunciations, but here are some audio pronunciations to help you get the readings just right. s’amuser! (have fun!) Grand-père—grandfather Fléchis—inflect or bend… Read more »

King of the Tightrope — Secondary Sources to the Rescue!

There’s a common belief among new nonfiction writers that primary sources are the only way to find absolute facts. Secondary sources are assumed to be inferior, less trustworthy, less valuable. I beg to differ. Don’t get me wrong, I get a rush when I find primary sources. As kids in my school visits can attest,… Read more »

Reverse-Engineering an Engineering Process from the Past

They are short and for kids, but nonfiction picture books can require the sleuthing skills of Veronica Mars, the puzzling wizardry of Sherlock Holmes, and the science chops of Bill Nye. When I set out to write about how The Great Blondin engineered his tightrope across the Niagara Gorge in 1859, I hoped to find… Read more »

For Educators—STEM Experiments & a Handy STEM Glossary/Companion

Hey, educators, I know how busy you are. Having ready-made lessons and tools can ease your workload as you make curriculum connections with your students. To that end, click here for the fabulous curriculum guide and readers theatre. As a bonus, below is a downloadable one-page STEM glossary companion and two simple balance experiments to… Read more »