Newest Picture Book
Missing Math: A Number Mystery will be released in April by Marshall Cavendish. Would you miss math and numbers if they disappeared? If you’re looking for a book to help kids become aware of and appreciate math in their world, this is the one. It tells the story of a town where all the numbers suddenly vanish one day. The characters can’t even remember what a number is any more! No one can count, add or subtract, tell time, keep score, or measure anything... life gets very difficult right away. Fortunately there is a persistent cat detective on the case to tackle the mystery of the missing numbers. Written in verse, here is an excerpt:

Our piggy banks are full of coins
to spend on something nice.
But money has no value now,
and nothing has a price.

We can't send mail or packages
by truck or boat or air.
Without the right address and stamp,
they can’t go anywhere.

A preview video of Missing Math can be watched here.
Its main page is here.

Nonfiction Blog
I’ve been invited to be a regular contributor to a children’s book blog, titled I.N.K. (Interesting Nonfiction for Kids.) Click here and a new window with my posts will open.

On the third Wednesday of the month, a post from me will appear. My February 20, 2008 article is Should Humans Go to Mars? which is about Messages From Mars. Another recent one is 1 Idea…Many Versions…1 Book which tells the behind-the-scenes story of Missing Math. Please leave a comment if you like, it seems to be the in thing. Video previews of both books are included there, or links are on my Home page.

More Book Previews
To see the largest preview versions of eight of my books, visit the Lookybook site.
Enter “Leedy” in the search box, then click on the book covers to see the inside pages. There are hundreds of other picture books available on the Lookybook—it’s a great way to find out what a book is really like so you can buy it or request it from the library. All of my minibook previews are also available on my web site—just click on the book jackets on my home page.

Coming Next Fall
I’ve been as busy as a bee and recently finished the final artwork for Crazy Like a Fox: A Simile Story, which will be released on the fall list by Holiday House. This is a fun read-aloud because the entire story is told with similes, and when a character is compared to something, he or she is transformed to look like it! So when Rufus the fox is sleeping like a log, he looks like one. He provokes Babette the sheep with his weird behavior such as sneaking up behind her and roaring like a lion! Could there be a reason that Rufus is acting crazy like a fox? Look for it at upcoming conventions—everyone who sees it giggles like a schoolgirl. I’ll make a preview video closer to its release date.

Books in Progress
I have several ideas in various stages of development, but am not sure which one will end up being the next book. Guess it’s time to decide, eh? Your suggestions are always welcome for books that might be the right subject matter for me. Contact me here.

Happy reading, teaching, writing, and illustrating to you all!
Loreen