Leslie Barnard Booth
children's book author
ABOUT
Bio from 1990
Fast Forward
My interests haven't changed much since 1990! I still love writing stories. I also love being in nature. I'm kind of obsessed with rocks, time, the universe, trees, crows, fungi, microbes, and nutrient cycling. I grew up in the Pacific Northwest, graduated from Pomona College, and earned graduate degrees in education and creative writing from the University of Oregon. Now that I'm a grown-up kid, I get to visit schools, libraries, and nature centers to teach about writing and science. I'm passionate about affirming and making space for children's curiosity, creativity, and innate connection to the natural world.
Official Third-Person Bio
Leslie Barnard Booth writes lyrical picture books about science and nature. She is the author of One Day This Tree Will Fall, a Kirkus Best Book of the Year, ALA-ALSC Notable Children's Book, and National Science Teaching Association (NSTA) Outstanding Science Trade Book. Her debut, A Stone Is a Story, was a Bank Street Best Book of the Year, Crystal Kite Award Winner, and NSTA Outstanding Science Trade Book. Leslie grew up in Washington state, among giant trees and rugged mountains. She has taught at preschool, elementary, and college levels and holds an MFA in creative writing and an MS in education from the University of Oregon. She is also a mom to two daughters, and her children often inspire her creative work. Thanks to them, she has relearned what children seem to know intuitively: that every snail, stone, and clump of moss is full of wonder, if only we take the time to look. Leslie lives in Portland, Oregon, and her next book, I Am We: How Crows Come Together to Survive, releases in fall 2025. ​​Visit her at lesliebarnardbooth.com.
