Rick Swann is a children’s author, animator and teacher working and living in Seattle, Washington. His first book, Our School Garden! is a fictional story about how young Michael, new to the city and the school, experiences the garden through the changing seasons of the school year. He discovers not just how vegetables grow but how a community can grow from a garden. The book, written in verse also features sidebars on gardening and an Author’s Note on the history of community gardens.

It is illustrated by Christy Hale who has illustrated many award-winning picture books, including Elizabeti’s Doll, winner of the Ezra Jack Keats Award, and its two sequels. She is also the author and illustrator of The East-West House: Noguchi’s Childhood in Japan, named a Best Book of the Year by Kirkus Reviews. She lives in Palo Alto, California.

Our School Garden! won the 2013 Growing Good Kids Book Award from the American Horticultural Society, an award recognizing children’s books that are especially effective at promoting an understanding of, and appreciation for, gardening, nature, and the environment.

It is published by READERS to EATERS which was founded in 2009 with a mission to promote a better understanding of what and how we eat through books for children and families. In addition to publishing, the company’s pop-up bookstore has been selling books about food in the Seattle area farmers markets, educational conferences, and community food and gardening events.

Contact me: rickswann@me.com