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 is the author, most recently, of the PNBA Bestseller I Am We: How Crows Come Together to Survive as well as the award-winning titles One Day This Tree Will Fall and A Stone Is a Story. Her lyrical picture books about science and nature have been named Best Books of the Year by Kirkus and Bank Street, and she was the recipient of the International Literacy Association's 2025 Book Award in Primary Nonfiction. 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. ​​Visit her at lesliebarnardbooth.com.
