Books by Delaware Regional Authors 11

John Micklos, Jr. is an award-winning education journalist and the author of more than 35 books for children and young adult readers. Poetry picture books he has compiled include Daddy Poems, Mommy Poems, Grandparent Poems, and No Boys Allowed: Poems About Brothers and Sisters, all published by Boyds Mills Press. Nonfiction books include a series about the Revolutionary War for elementary students published by Enslow as well as high school-level biographies of Muhammad Ali, Elvis Presley, Jennifer Hudson, Amelia Earhart, and Jerry Spinelli (all published by Enslow), an elementary-level biography of Alexander Graham Bell (published by HarperCollins/Time for Kids), and a middle-level biography of Leonard Nimoy (published by Dillon Press). Additionally, he has written numerous books for Capstone, including books about the Lewis & Clark expedition, the 1918 flu pandemic, the Challenger disaster, and the Civil War. In 2015 he established the publishing imprint First State Press.
John does K-12 school visits in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Texas, New Jersey, Indiana, and Maine, speaking on topics ranging from poetry writing to crafting nonfiction to principles of journalism. Visit the Presentation or Contact page at his website to find out how to bring John to your school or conference.

This playful counting book shares the colorful highlights of the four seasons in charming illustrations.
Count your way through the seasons! In spring, the tree’s leaves appear, one by one. By summer, there’s a glorious canopy. And when autumn winds blow, leaves fly from the tree, one after another, leading us into winter. There’s a world of activity to spy in and around this beautiful tree as the wild creatures, and one little boy, celebrate the cycles of nature. As little ones count leaves, look for animals, and enjoy the changing seasonal landscape, bouncy rhymes and bold illustrations make learning to count easy—corresponding numerals reinforcing the learning fun.
“A counting book that doubles as an introduction to the seasons. . . . Micklos’s punchy rhymes and McFarland’s bold artwork create a breezy counting tale that encourages readers to observe subtle changes in the world around them.”—Publishers Weekly
“Micklos’ bouncy rhyming verses keep the pages turning as the seasons change and leaves unfurl or fall, numerals sharing the pages with the text to reinforce the counting. . . . A solid look at both counting and seasonal changes.”—Kirkus Reviews
“This concept book effectively combines both counting and the seasons, and will be well received by young children.”—School Library Journal

Storyteller, musician, and vocalist, TAHIRA performs original works, as well as works from the African and African American folklore tradition. She credits her mother for giving her the courage and support to pursue her dreams and her father for instilling her love for her culture. Her multiple talents enables TAHIRA to deliver a unique program that includes a heapin' of the spoken word, a fistful of soul-stirring vocals, flavored with rhythmic guitar and pulsating drumming for good measure.
2000 Winner of Delaware Divisions of the Arts Established Artist Fellowship for Outstanding Contri-bution to Oral Literature.
Collaborated with composer Jea Street in the Delaware Museum of Art-commissioned work, Unbroken Spirit: The 1968 Siege of Wilmington.

A collection of stories and songs set to pulsating African rhythms that will give you an infectious smile, a lighter heart and a belief that people can fly.
Don't let the number of tracks on this album fool you. This album runs over an hour and contains many audience's favorites. Here is a snip-bit of what you'll get:
Rise to Freedom - The title selection is TAHIRA's re-adaptation of the legend, The Flying Africans." TAHIRA's performance of this story received a standing ovation at the 17th Annual Black Storytelling Festival and Conference, where she was a Featured Teller.
Strange Animal - is a lighthearted tale with an effective message about being mindful of the words that we speak to children.
A Story, A Story - TAHIRA sings this gentle and haunting tune describing the power of A Story.
These recordings, much like TAHIRA's live presentations, are inspiring and up-lifting. Each one has a powerful lesson for audiences of all ages. Have a listen, you too may be transformed!

To Carrie Simpson , “Teaching has always been in my blood.” Accordingly, she has explored “nontraditional roles, such as outdoor educator, interpretive ranger for the National Park Service, and rock-climbing instructor.” She has taught in a therapeutic boarding school in Montana, in an international school in Turkey, and Edmonds Community College in Seattle, Washington. She is currently an adjunct Assistant Professor at Delaware State College, where she teaches African American Literature and English as a Second Language. In 2015 she described her “values-based curriculum” in “Exploring Personal Values to Promote Critical Thinking, Mindfulness, and Empathy,” published by The English Journal.

Choose Your Own Adventure and Other Poems, by Caroline (Carrie) Simpson (Finishing Line Press, 2018), invites you to take a journey through the many dimensions of womanhood as you explore-- along with a few animal friends-- ancient rituals of partnership, parenting, love, and separation. In the title piece, a long form poem written in the style of a Choose Your Own Adventure novel, the protagonist is a single American female on a vacation cruise in the Galápagos Islands. In each chapter, she tries on the mating rituals of a different animal as she looks for the “perfect partnership pattern.” Accompanied by Simpson’s original watercolor illustrations, this poem first appeared in Rattle’s Summer 2018 issue. The collection culminates with five shorter poems. In “The Scent of a Man,” nominated for a Pushcart Prize by Third Wednesday, the speaker goes out for a night of dancing tango and one-by-one, acquires the smells of each man she dances with while simultaneously losing her own scents. This collection will have you laughing out loud and pondering your own animalistic journey on this earth, only to discover that we all still have some evolving left to do.

Maurice (Trip) Hopkins is a science fiction, horror, and fantasy writer, and also an illustrator when he can find the time. He operates out of Bear, Delaware. He can be bribed with experience points and diabetic friendly (and tasty) food. He can be reached at triphop@ossua.com. You can follow him on Twitter and Facebook.

Halfway House: A Story of the Rigored (Kindle edition by Maurice B Hopkins, April 8, 2015) by Maurice Hopkins

On the edge of an American small town ruin there is a house for the most peculiar sort of survivors of the apocalypse. They have gone through the worst kind of experience imaginable. They have seen a catastrophic plague, the fall of civilization, death, and are forced into a strange new way of being. It’s not easy, and for people like Jack and Sandy, they see it as their duty to help others like themselves adapt to their new ‘life.’

Kowloon-M (Kindle edition by Maurice B Hopkins, April 13, 2015) by Maurice Hopkins

Chen has been condemned to live in the slum of Kowloon-M, the Honorable Society’s dumping ground for deviants, political dissenters, and religious practitioners. As a part of his punishment he has been fitted with a projection unit – a device that makes even his innermost thoughts visible for all around him to see via hologram. Alone and fearing to become something less than human, a chance rescue by a native changes his life.