I had no idea we had such talent in our own backyard! I'm looking forward to investigating her books more and learning from her. Here is April's website.
After looking at a few of her titles, I checked out Vulture View. This is a great preschool level book. The illustrations, done by Steve Jenkins are mainly done with cut and embellished papers. The text combines a simple story line with informational text woven into the story. The book looks at several animals and plants it might be attracted to until it finds what it would like to eat--a stinky, dead deer! The book uses simple text and pictures that engages the reader to learn more about the vulture. Many action words make this an excellent read aloud story. I loved that the book tackled head on that vultures like to eat carrion. That yuck or gross factor is perfect for kids. I also liked the informational pages at the back of the book, which contained basics on vultures and a list of additional resources. Additional information like this helps me when teaching classes as I have a little more to add than just what I read to children.
Find the book, Vulture View, here.