Consie's Books and Publications
Star Party Watch the Star Party book trailer. Written by Polly Carlson-Voiles Minnesota Historical Society Press Grandma and Grandpa invite Nora to her very first Star Party. It happens after dark. Who else comes? Flying squirrels, calling loons, singing frogs and barred owls. Most dazzling of all is the night sky. Billions of stars glow above and are reflected in the lake below. Nora ponders the mysteries of starlight and stardust. And she thinks about how the night sky unites stargazers all over the world. |
Canoeman Joe Watch the Canoeman Joe book trailer.
Written by Robin Radcliffe
Green Writers Press
In the early 20th century town of Ely, MN, Joe Seliga taught himself to build wood and canvas canoes. What began as a life full of curiosity and adventure grew into a passion for the land and its people. Joe loved wild places, cherished his close-knit family, and found joy in using his hands to create a thing of beauty and utility. Along the way he forged a tradition of respect for the wooden canoe: if you take care of it, it will take care of you. This biographical picturebook celebrates Joe's life with canoes as well as his self-reliance.
Big Yellow: Firefighting Superstar
Written by Polly Carlson-Voiles
Legacy Bound
This informative picture book features Big Yellow, a personified water-bombing airplane who
is called upon to help fight a wild-land forest fire with water scooped from nearby lakes.
Big Yellow: Firefighting Superstar also explores underlying themes of self-confidence and teamwork. This story shows both the in-flight workings of Big Yellow and the actions of human firefighters. Back matter provides details about the Canadair CL 215 and CL 415 water-bombers, about forest fires, and about other aircraft that help with the important job of fire fighting.
Written by Polly Carlson-Voiles
Legacy Bound
This informative picture book features Big Yellow, a personified water-bombing airplane who
is called upon to help fight a wild-land forest fire with water scooped from nearby lakes.
Big Yellow: Firefighting Superstar also explores underlying themes of self-confidence and teamwork. This story shows both the in-flight workings of Big Yellow and the actions of human firefighters. Back matter provides details about the Canadair CL 215 and CL 415 water-bombers, about forest fires, and about other aircraft that help with the important job of fire fighting.
Big Fish Dreams
Written by Lori Fisher Peelen
Curious Cat Books
This is the story of a boy, a family fishing trip, and a beautiful female salmon traveling persistently
toward her spawning place. The boy dreams of being the family Fishing Champ, like his siblings have
been on past trips. The Chinook salmon is struggling past hazards, pulled by ancient instincts to the
cedar-lined pool where she was born. This story celebrates the physical struggles of the magnificent
salmon, and the mental growth of the fish-loving boy, as well giving a close look into the intricacies of
a healthy watershed.
Written by Lori Fisher Peelen
Curious Cat Books
This is the story of a boy, a family fishing trip, and a beautiful female salmon traveling persistently
toward her spawning place. The boy dreams of being the family Fishing Champ, like his siblings have
been on past trips. The Chinook salmon is struggling past hazards, pulled by ancient instincts to the
cedar-lined pool where she was born. This story celebrates the physical struggles of the magnificent
salmon, and the mental growth of the fish-loving boy, as well giving a close look into the intricacies of
a healthy watershed.
A Bird on My Hand
Written by Mary Bevis
Raven Productions, Inc
A child watches the chickadees by Grandma's cabin and sees them eating sunflower seeds from Grandma's hand. Will the chickadees back home ever learn to take the seeds from a human hand? Will the child ever have the patience to let them? A lovely story of enjoying wild things, A Bird on My Hand has colorful woodcut illustrations that see the world from a chickadee's point of view.
Written by Mary Bevis
Raven Productions, Inc
A child watches the chickadees by Grandma's cabin and sees them eating sunflower seeds from Grandma's hand. Will the chickadees back home ever learn to take the seeds from a human hand? Will the child ever have the patience to let them? A lovely story of enjoying wild things, A Bird on My Hand has colorful woodcut illustrations that see the world from a chickadee's point of view.
Nature’s Patchwork Quilt: Understanding Habitats
Written by Mary Miche
Dawn Publications
Just imagine all of nature — mountains, prairies, oceans, and all — lying on your bed as a patchwork quilt! Take flora and fauna in their unique habitats, fold them up and you have a book, this book. Earth’s major habitats are spread before you, ready to be examined. Here in this beautiful package are revealed the key concepts of natural science, illustrated with the visual metaphor of an actual patchwork quilt. This patchwork quilt of nature covers the whole Earth, your home—yours to learn about, to enjoy, to care for, and to love.
Written by Mary Miche
Dawn Publications
Just imagine all of nature — mountains, prairies, oceans, and all — lying on your bed as a patchwork quilt! Take flora and fauna in their unique habitats, fold them up and you have a book, this book. Earth’s major habitats are spread before you, ready to be examined. Here in this beautiful package are revealed the key concepts of natural science, illustrated with the visual metaphor of an actual patchwork quilt. This patchwork quilt of nature covers the whole Earth, your home—yours to learn about, to enjoy, to care for, and to love.
A Bold Carnivore: An Alphabet of Predators
Raven Productions, Inc.
Forget “H is for Horse” or “R is for Rabbit.” In this colorful book of ABCs, H stands for hawk and R is for ringtail. The animals in this book aren’t just any animals. Each letter of the alphabet refers to a North American predator, and large, simple text describes the animal, how it hunts, and the animals on which it preys. Life-like illustrations show predators in their natural settings, and colorful border drawings depict the prey species in their habitat as well.
Raven Productions, Inc.
Forget “H is for Horse” or “R is for Rabbit.” In this colorful book of ABCs, H stands for hawk and R is for ringtail. The animals in this book aren’t just any animals. Each letter of the alphabet refers to a North American predator, and large, simple text describes the animal, how it hunts, and the animals on which it preys. Life-like illustrations show predators in their natural settings, and colorful border drawings depict the prey species in their habitat as well.
Old Dog Cora and the Christmas Tree
Raven Productions, Inc.
Christmas is coming, and it’s time for the family to head into the woods to find the perfect Christmas tree. Cora, a Newfoundland dog, is ready to wear her old red harness so she can haul the tree home as she’s done every year. But Mom and Dad think Cora’s too old, and only Minx and Ebony, Cora’s daughter and granddaughter, are fitted with their harnesses. Luckily, young Susan suggests Cora still come along even if she can’t haul. After the family finds the tree and cuts it down, Cora is ready to get to work. But something’s wrong; they’re starting without her! Cora doesn’t understand, but she’s determined to take the lead and bring the tree home.
Raven Productions, Inc.
Christmas is coming, and it’s time for the family to head into the woods to find the perfect Christmas tree. Cora, a Newfoundland dog, is ready to wear her old red harness so she can haul the tree home as she’s done every year. But Mom and Dad think Cora’s too old, and only Minx and Ebony, Cora’s daughter and granddaughter, are fitted with their harnesses. Luckily, young Susan suggests Cora still come along even if she can’t haul. After the family finds the tree and cuts it down, Cora is ready to get to work. But something’s wrong; they’re starting without her! Cora doesn’t understand, but she’s determined to take the lead and bring the tree home.
Leave Only Ripples: A Canoe Country Sketchbook
Raven Productions, Inc.
A family canoe trip into the Border Country lakes of northern Minnesota and western Ontario is vividly depicted with woodblocks, field sketches and prose. Each page presents a new aspect of the Canoe Country’s human and natural history, blended with a typical summer day of paddling, portaging, and camping.
Winner of the 2006 Sigurd Olson Nature Writing Award for Children's Literature.
Included on the 2005 John Burroughs List of Nature Books for Young Readers.
Raven Productions, Inc.
A family canoe trip into the Border Country lakes of northern Minnesota and western Ontario is vividly depicted with woodblocks, field sketches and prose. Each page presents a new aspect of the Canoe Country’s human and natural history, blended with a typical summer day of paddling, portaging, and camping.
Winner of the 2006 Sigurd Olson Nature Writing Award for Children's Literature.
Included on the 2005 John Burroughs List of Nature Books for Young Readers.
Baby Bear Isn’t Hungry
written by Michael Elsohn Ross
Yosemite Conservancy
Baby Bear, a very curious cub, is eagerly exploring her world. When she suddenly finds herself in unfamiliar territory, she climbs a tree and starts to cry. Everything works out fine when mama bear arrives and leads baby bear back to comfort and safety.
written by Michael Elsohn Ross
Yosemite Conservancy
Baby Bear, a very curious cub, is eagerly exploring her world. When she suddenly finds herself in unfamiliar territory, she climbs a tree and starts to cry. Everything works out fine when mama bear arrives and leads baby bear back to comfort and safety.
Alphabetically Bodacious Canines: Healthy Newfs from A to Z
Newfoundland Club of America
This collection of alphabet letters celebrates happy, healthy dogs doing all the kinds of things that dogs like to do with, or without, their people. 100% of the profits from the sale of this book goes towards canine health research funded by the Newfoundland Club of America.
Newfoundland Club of America
This collection of alphabet letters celebrates happy, healthy dogs doing all the kinds of things that dogs like to do with, or without, their people. 100% of the profits from the sale of this book goes towards canine health research funded by the Newfoundland Club of America.
Peregrine's Sky
Western National Parks Association
High on a cliff ledge, a pair of Peregrine Falcons incubates their eggs. Observe as the tiny hatchlings eat, grow, and watch their parents winging in the sky. The youngsters long to fly, and with strength and practice, soon they, too, take to the air. But will they learn to catch their own food?
Western National Parks Association
High on a cliff ledge, a pair of Peregrine Falcons incubates their eggs. Observe as the tiny hatchlings eat, grow, and watch their parents winging in the sky. The youngsters long to fly, and with strength and practice, soon they, too, take to the air. But will they learn to catch their own food?
Old Woman Winter
written by Mary Bevis
Raven Productions, Inc.
Winter is near, but as Old Woman Winter and her husband look out of their cottage in the clouds, the landscape below is gloomy and gray. It's time to whip up a recipe of snowflakes and add a hearty serving of hoar frost to brighten up the landscape! After sifting and stirring and chilling and shaping, the Winters pour a huge batch of snowflakes onto the earth, then sweep the clouds away so the moonlight reveals the magic of the first snow.
written by Mary Bevis
Raven Productions, Inc.
Winter is near, but as Old Woman Winter and her husband look out of their cottage in the clouds, the landscape below is gloomy and gray. It's time to whip up a recipe of snowflakes and add a hearty serving of hoar frost to brighten up the landscape! After sifting and stirring and chilling and shaping, the Winters pour a huge batch of snowflakes onto the earth, then sweep the clouds away so the moonlight reveals the magic of the first snow.
Wolf Song
written by Mary Bevis
Raven Productions, Inc.
All summer Nell has been looking forward to an evening of howling for wolves with Uncle Walter. Now that the time is here, she's a little anxious. But the evening unfolds with wonderful satisfaction as Nell learns to howl "like one of the pack." The illustrations on each spread tell two stories: that of Nell and Uncle Walter, and that of a wolf pack at its August rendevous site.
written by Mary Bevis
Raven Productions, Inc.
All summer Nell has been looking forward to an evening of howling for wolves with Uncle Walter. Now that the time is here, she's a little anxious. But the evening unfolds with wonderful satisfaction as Nell learns to howl "like one of the pack." The illustrations on each spread tell two stories: that of Nell and Uncle Walter, and that of a wolf pack at its August rendevous site.
Who Lives in the Snow?
written by Jennifer Berry Jones
Roberts Rinehart
Although on the surface the snow looks quiet and serene, life down under is anything but: mites search for small insects, spiders prey on springtails, a shrew hunts for spiders and beetles, voles build tunnels through the snow, and a chipmunk, waking in its winter bed deep in the ground, nibbles on seeds it has stored under its mattress of leaves. In the meadow, a red fox hunts for breakfast as it trots across the icy crust of the snow.
Carefully researched, Who Lives in the Snow describes these remarkable creatures who survive and often flourish in their dark winter world.
written by Jennifer Berry Jones
Roberts Rinehart
Although on the surface the snow looks quiet and serene, life down under is anything but: mites search for small insects, spiders prey on springtails, a shrew hunts for spiders and beetles, voles build tunnels through the snow, and a chipmunk, waking in its winter bed deep in the ground, nibbles on seeds it has stored under its mattress of leaves. In the meadow, a red fox hunts for breakfast as it trots across the icy crust of the snow.
Carefully researched, Who Lives in the Snow describes these remarkable creatures who survive and often flourish in their dark winter world.
Amazing Apples
Albert Whitman & Company
Acrostic poems made from apple-themed words lead readers through the growing season — from early spring buds to apple-picking time to naked tree branches resting in winter. Illustrated with hand-colored woodblock prints, Amazing Apples also includes some apple history as well as ideas about what to do with apples. Children will enjoy the flavor-filled poems that celebrate this popular fruit.
Albert Whitman & Company
Acrostic poems made from apple-themed words lead readers through the growing season — from early spring buds to apple-picking time to naked tree branches resting in winter. Illustrated with hand-colored woodblock prints, Amazing Apples also includes some apple history as well as ideas about what to do with apples. Children will enjoy the flavor-filled poems that celebrate this popular fruit.
The First Day of Winter
Albert Whitman & Company
Bundle up and don’t forget your hats! Winter in the woods is a time for outdoor fun—and exploration, too. The woods are alive with animals—fox, red squirrel, hare—who find a way to survive this coldest season.
Exuberant verse and crisp paintings pay tribute to winter, which is surprisingly bursting with life. This story is also a counting book, and a section in the back includes additional information about the animals discovered each day.
Albert Whitman & Company
Bundle up and don’t forget your hats! Winter in the woods is a time for outdoor fun—and exploration, too. The woods are alive with animals—fox, red squirrel, hare—who find a way to survive this coldest season.
Exuberant verse and crisp paintings pay tribute to winter, which is surprisingly bursting with life. This story is also a counting book, and a section in the back includes additional information about the animals discovered each day.
A Day in the Salt Marsh
written by Kevin Kurtz
Arbordale Publishing
Enjoy a day in one of the most dynamic habitats on earth: the salt marsh. Rhyming verse introduces readers to hourly changes in the marsh as the tide comes and goes. Watch the animals that have adapted to this ever-changing environment as they hunt for food or play in the sun, and get to know the amazing variety of plants that have adapted to this amazing environment.
written by Kevin Kurtz
Arbordale Publishing
Enjoy a day in one of the most dynamic habitats on earth: the salt marsh. Rhyming verse introduces readers to hourly changes in the marsh as the tide comes and goes. Watch the animals that have adapted to this ever-changing environment as they hunt for food or play in the sun, and get to know the amazing variety of plants that have adapted to this amazing environment.
Illustrations, design, editing and occasional writing
“North Carolina WILD Notebook", a monthly 4-page, full-color section for young readers in Wildlife in North Carolina magazine
Select publications, illustrated:
“North Carolina WILD Notebook", a monthly 4-page, full-color section for young readers in Wildlife in North Carolina magazine
Select publications, illustrated:
- The Fisher, by R.A. Powell, University of Minnesota Press, 1982, Second Edition, 1993
- Martens, Sables, and Fishers: Biology and Conservation, edited by S.W. Buskirk, A.S. Harestad, M.G. Raphael, and R.A. Powell, Cornell University Press, 1994. Frontispiece illustration.
- Ecology and Behaviour of the North American Black Bear: Home Ranges, Habitat, and Social Organization, by R.A. Powell, J.W. Zimmerman, and D.E. Seaman. Chapman and Hall, London, 1997.
- Mammals of North America by Roland W. Kays and Don E. Wilson, Princeton University Press, 2002. (illustrated all the terrestrial carnivores)
- The Natural History of Weasels and Stoats: Ecology, Behavior, and Management, 2nd edition, by Carolyn M. King and Roger A. Powell, Oxford University Press, 2006.
- Mammals of the North Woods (North Woods Naturalist Series), by Roger & Consie Powell, Kollath+Stensaas Publishing, 2016.
Links
www.science-art.com
Take a look at more of my artwork (and that of other talented natural science illustrators) at this wonderful portfolio site. www.quailridgebooks.com
Quail Ridge Books and Music – my favorite independent bookstore. Give them a visit in person if you can! If not, give them a visit online.
www.gnsi.org
Guild of Natural Science Illustrators
When you buy books, please support independent booksellers. To find the independent bookseller nearest to you, go to this website and use the locator. Thank you.
www.science-art.com
Take a look at more of my artwork (and that of other talented natural science illustrators) at this wonderful portfolio site. www.quailridgebooks.com
Quail Ridge Books and Music – my favorite independent bookstore. Give them a visit in person if you can! If not, give them a visit online.
www.gnsi.org
Guild of Natural Science Illustrators
When you buy books, please support independent booksellers. To find the independent bookseller nearest to you, go to this website and use the locator. Thank you.