Much like the snake sheds its skin, 2025 marks a year when individuals and communities can let go of old patterns and embrace innovation. The Year of the Snake serves as a call for thoughtful action and strategic change.
A number of my books for children have snakes in them. In 1991 I published SNAKE, illustrated with photos by Richard Hewett, featuring a Rosy Boa that was used in educational programs at the Los Angeles Zoo. It was one of my most popular animal books. The hardcover book is out of print, although you still may be able to find it in some libraries. (LAPL has six copies.) The ebook of SNAKE is available at Amazon and other ebook outlets.
People have long been intrigued by snakes, and today they are one of the most popular attractions at any zoo. But in the wild, some species are now endangered-because the snakes are hunted for sport or profit, or because their habitats are being destroyed. Filled with forty intriguing photographs, Snake is a delightful first look at these slithery, scaly, limbless reptiles.
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| Rosy Boa |
With many thanks to the following for organizing this fundraiser:
Caroline L. Perry
Charlotte Offsay
Tara Luebbe
In my own books for children I have always liked to include
back matter and my memoir, SETTLEMENT HOUSE GIRL (for adults), is no exception.
In fact, one quarter of the 200 pages of the book is back matter. The main text
of the book is written in first person present tense and meant to be read as a
story. The back matter (written in past tense) is intended to fill in the
names, context, and other historical details that are relevant but would slow down the
pace of the story. When the two are read together it creates a richer narrative.
Author’s Note
The back matter of SETTLEMENT HOUSE GIRL begins with an
author’s note in which I explain the roots of the story, how it grew out of a children’s
book called CHILDREN OF THE SETTLEMENT HOUSES (Carolrhoda Books, 1998), about early
settlement houses and their impact on children in immigrant communities. My
memoir is “a story about me and my family set in the context of a functioning
settlement house” and “a window on childhood and social customs of the 1950s.” In
the author’s note I am explaining myself to you, the reader.
End Notes
The next section of the back matter is End Notes, a chapter
by chapter listing of pertinent facts and other relevant material. In an early
version of my manuscript these were footnotes, but I found them cumbersome and
decided to move them to the back of the book. A major resource for the book was
a collection of letters written by my parents and other documents they had saved. The end
notes were my solution for including this source material in the book.
Appendix
The appendix is my catch-all for things I want to share with
the reader but don’t fit in the main part of the book. To begin with I felt it
was important to include the history of North East Neighborhood House. When I
found a newspaper article that described all the activities at the settlement
house at the time I lived there, I wanted to include it too. My short story, Growing Up, written when I was in high
school, provides insight into my life at home with my brothers. And the final
section, The Beginnings of Camp Bovey,
written by my father, I felt was important to include as background for the
four chapters in the book about my years at Camp Bovey.
About the Author
The final item of the back matter is a short biographical
paragraph, About the Author. I also
included a photo of myself as I look today—in contrast to the historical photos
in the book. (As a reader I am always curious to see what authors look like.) I
did not create an index for this book. The dedication and photo credits are at
the front of the book along with a Table of Contents.
Whether you are writing a children’s nonfiction book or a
nonfiction book for adults, the inclusion of back matter increases its value
for the reader. How much or how little to include depends on your subject, your
preferences, and the number of pages you have available.
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| North East Neighborhood House, Minneapolis, MN. |
I love learning about the world around me. As I researched the subjects in each of these California stories, I discovered new and fascinating things about the state I call home.
Here are the titles of my books connected to California
history, people, places and animals, with links to my website or to updated or e-book
editions.
Keeper of the Light:
Juliet Fish Nichols Fights the San Francisco Fog (2022)
Planting
a Garden in Room 6: From Seeds to Salad (2022)
Butterflies in
Room 6: See How They Grow (2019)
Hatching Chicks
in Room 6 (2017)
A Day and
Night in the Desert (2015)
Trapped
in Tar: Fossils from the Ice Age , original (1987 and updated (2017)
A
Bald Eagle’s World (2010)
When
Mammoths Walked the Earth (2002)
Baby
Whale Rescue: The True Story of J.J. (1999)
Bobcats
(1997)
Bat
(1996)
Fox
(1996)
Stories
in Stone: Rock Art Pictures by Early Americans (1996)
Killer
Whale (1994)
Sea
Lion (1994)
Watching
Desert Wildlife (1994)
On
the Brink of Extinction: The California Condor (1993)
House
Sparrows Everywhere (1992)
A
Guide Dog Puppy Grows Up (1991)
Tule
Elk (1989)
The
Golden Gate Bridge (1986)
Saving
the Peregrine Falcon (1985)
Pets
Without Homes (1983)
The
Biggest Living Thing (1983)
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| Caroline, ice skating at Bottineau Park, Northeast Minneapolis, 1950. |
From Chapter 7:
Family Christmas at NENH, SETTLEMENT HOUSE GIRL: Growing Up in the 1950s at
North East Neighborhood House, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
I have fond memories of celebrating the holidays when I was a child in Minneapolis. Now, many years later, from my home in California, I send best wishes to you and all my faithful readers.
HAPPY NEW YEAR 2025
