Emerging
Katie Hesterman
Katie Hesterman is the debut author of A Round of Robins, a collection of 16 plucky, playful poems that takes the reader on a journey through the nesting cycle of a robin pair. Her book was a nominee for the 2020 Bill Martin, Jr. Award, a 2019 NCTE Notable Poetry Book and included on The Horn Book 2018 Summer Reading List. A nurse by profession, Katie has traded her stethoscope for a keyboard, but still listens closely to the hearts of children. Her favorite author perk is sharing her love of language with students through interactive storytelling and poetry workshops. Katie resides in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where she and her husband have raised their own brood of three.
2020 Emerging Shortlist: A Round of Robins
Food Fight
Jumble, jostle, rumble, squirm;
Dad has landed with a worm.
Game of tug-of-war begins–
Biggest bossy baby wins.
Mama’s a skillful architect, constructing a sturdy nest, while Dad’s a champion turf defender. And those hatchlings! Such fluffs of plump perfection!
Katie Hesterman’s vibrant verse celebrates this awesome circle of bird life, as we follow a pair of robin parents from nest-building and egg-laying, to raising their hungry hatchlings, and finally sending off their flying fledglings. Sergio Ruzzier’s brilliant, candy-colored art pays tribute to all these stages of a robin’s life cycle, reminding us that while robins may be common, they are also extraordinary
