I’m delighted to be featured on the ASL Picture Books blog with an interview about my work with families and library staff, and of course my newest book, Nita’s Food Signs. Read the interview here.
All posts by kathymacmillan
Read This!: DREAMS TAKE FLIGHT by Brittany Richman and Alisha Monnin
Dreams Take Flight: The Story of Deaf Pilot Nellie Zabel Willhite by Brittany Richman and Alisha Monnin
Summary: After losing her hearing at four and following a tumultuous education, Nellie Zabel was introduced to the world of flight while working at the Sioux Falls airport. The planes and pilots captured her imagination as she watched them sail alongside the birds. With some encouragement, she enrolled in pilot training–carefully tailoring the courses to accommodate her deafness. In 1928, she took off on her own, becoming the first female pilot in South Dakota–and the first deaf pilot in the nation.
This lovely nonfiction picture book tells the true story of Nellie Zabel Willhite, who became the first licensed deaf pilot in the US. The world was far from accommodating when she was growing up as a deaf child in the early 1900s, but with a combination of her own persistence and the support of caring adults, she got an education and found a job. But when she finally took the flying lessons she had been dreaming of, her life took off. This story features an inspiring woman at its center, but it is also a great discussion-starter about intersectional identities and the various barriers that marginalized people throughout history have faced.
DREAMS TAKE FLIGHT is out now.
Book Your 2025/2026 School & Library Visit!
Read This!: OCTO, PI AND THE MYSTERIOUS VOICE by Sarah McDavis
Octo, PI and the Mysterious Voice by Sarah McDavis
Summary: All was quiet at the ZAR&R for Octo, PI and her team. Then came the mysterious voice that shut down the nocturnal comedy night! Octo likes facts that stick and she sets out to uncover who the voice belongs to. It isn’t a ghost because ghosts don’t exist. She hopes. Along the way, Octo has to conquer her own fear while helping a pirate with their lost treasure, keeping an eye on the Ghost Hunters’s show host, and solving the case before residents start to panic!
Octo, PI is back for another adventure, along with trusty sidekicks Tank the chameleon and junior investigator Lightning the hummingbird. This time, there’s a creepy voice (maybe a ghost?) scaring animals at night. Octo has to get to the bottom of it, or else animals might be too scared to come to the ZAR&R for the help they need. By following the clues, gathering evidence, and questioning witnesses, Octo gets to the bottom of not one but two mysteries, and makes friends with a feathered pirate to boot. With a delicious combination of silly antics and real-life animal info, McDavis brings the characters to life through accessible text and humorous illustrative touches. Chapter book readers will be clamoring for Octo, PI’s next adventure!
Read This!: THE GIRL IN THE WALLS by Meg Eden Kuyatt
The Girl in the Walls by Meg Eden Kuyatt
Summary: Neurodivergent and sock-collecting Vee is stuck at her uptight and “perfect” Grandma Jojo’s house for the summer, who she has absolutely nothing in common with. To make matters worse, Vee thought her older cousin Cat would make summer fun again–until an incident happens in the middle of the night. And Cat hasn’t been seen since.
Then Vee discovers a ghost living in Jojo’s walls. And this girl… this ghost… has been collecting Jojo’s secrets. At first, Vee finds the ghost to be an escape from her grandmother and her memories of the incident with Cat. But as the girl encourages Vee to get back at Jojo by playing pranks, Vee soon uncovers Jojo’s insecurities. And Vee starts to think twice about taking part in the girl’s schemes, until the girl suddenly becomes dangerous, trapping Vee in the walls and threatening to flood the house and everyone in it. Will Vee let grief and anger take control — or is there a way to use even the broken, confusing pieces of her feelings to save her messy family?
Meg Eden Kuyatt’s verse is easy to read, drawing the reader into Vee’s world with its perpetual forward rhythm, but don’t be fooled into thinking that means this book is simple. There’s nothing simple about this spooky story that centers around a ghost who is so much more than she seems. With potent imagery, the author uncovers the layers of fear, anger, and shame experienced by various members of V’s family, and the tangible harm they do when left to fester. Like the author’s previous verse novel, Good Different, The Girl in the Walls explores an autistic protagonist’s family relationships and the effects of generational trauma. But here she masterfully leverages the tools and techniques of speculative fiction to mine the emotions at the heart of Vee’s family history.
THE GIRL IN THE WALLS is out now.
Stories By Hand with Kathy MacMillan 