ELLIE & RICKY books
These books for middle readers explore Oregon's ecoregions through science, art, storytelling, and field journals.
Ellie's Strand
AWARDS:
Sigrud Olson Nature Writing Award, Notable Children’s Book
Green Earth Book Award, Honor Book
SNEAK PEEK:
Ellie and Ricky travel to the Oregon coast from their home in the Cascade Mountains to help with a one-day beach cleanup. Hoping to find a prized Japanese glass float, they instead find far more important natural treasures, and an ocean that needs its own cleanup. Together, the children realize the power of volunteering as a way to grapple with the challenges of ocean conservation. They develop an empowering message for middle readers in their illustrated field journals, recorded at the end of each chapter.
Ellie's Log
AWARDS:
John Burroughs Association Riverby Award, Honorable Mention 2013
SNEAK PEEK:
When a winter storm topples the Great Tree, Ellie and Ricky begin to explore the Douglas-fir forest where they live. As their world awakens from winter to spring, the children observe how trees grow, die, decay, and transform to create all kinds of new life in the forest. They record what they experience in illustrated field notebooks of observations, drawings, data, and moments of discovery. Each chapter is a new adventure, ending with a page from Ellie's field journal.
Ellie’s Log also includes Ellie’s advice for field journalling and a Teacher’s Guide, available at: ellieslog.org.
Ricky's Atlas
AWARDS:
American Association for the Advancement of Science / Subaru Prize for Excellence in Science Books, Best Hands-On Science Book, 2017
SNEAK PEEK:
It's summer, and Ricky and Ellie are visiting Ricky's uncle’s ranch in eastern Oregon when a thunderstorm sparks a wildfire nearby. That fire sparks curiosity in Ellie and Ricky to explore fire ecology in the dry forests and grasslands east of the Cascade Mountains. With local experts, the children explore a fire tower, a working ranch, a recovering burned forest, and geological sites to learn how plants, animals and people live in the rain shadow east of the mountains. Ricky's illustrated notebooks appear at the end of each chapter, as he experiments with measuring time, space, growth, change, and weather.
Ricky in the City
AWARDS:
2019 Sigurd Olson Nature Writing Award, Notable Book
SNEAK PEEK:
It’s early fall when Ricky and Ellie travel to the city from their homes in the Cascade Mountains for a school exchange in the city. Much to their surprise, they find an astounding variety of wildlife where they least expect it. With the help of new friends and local experts, the children explore urban wildlife habitats, from city neighborhoods to woodlands, streams, and river banks. They become citizen-scientists, helping Metro officials ensure the city's fish and wildlife have the healthy habitats they need. Their field notebooks, reproduced at the end of each chapter, continue to be essential tools in understanding the city's wildlife.​​
Get ready to explore Oregon with Ellie and Ricky.