Winnie Finn was one of ten picture books kids read for the Maine Chickadee Award in 2010. Kids in Maine schools heard or read stories chosen by librarians and educators statewide and then they voted for their faves. What an honor! And Winnie took fourth place!

From Kirkus Reviews:

“. . . a clever cumulative ecological tale filled with spunk and a bit of vermiculture. Hoyt’s sprightly cartoons add just the right amount of humorous action to Winnie’s worm-farming tasks, while Winnie’s winning personality allows readers to learn a bit about the positive aspects of worm composting. An author’s note includes directions for creating a worm farm and sources.”

• Mary Harris Russell of the Chicago Tribune reviewed Winnie–and she reviews only books she likes!
• Another great review! This time it’s from from School Library Journal. (Scroll down to see review.)
• More praise for Winnie Finn! This review comes from book reviewer and former Cricket Group editor Paula Morrow.
• My book shares a place on the Reading Rockets Holiday Gift Guide for 6-7 year-olds with the amazing Marion Dane Bauer’s LONGEST NIGHT! It says: “These books were chosen with just one criterion in mind — good literature that’s so engaging that your child, grandchild, niece, nephew, or student will gladly turn off the TV and put away the Gameboy.”
• Here’s a very nice review on A Patchwork of Books
• Praise for Winnie at this Kids Lit blog from the director of a library in beautiful Wisconsin!
• And here’s another great review at Pink Me
• The Wild About Nature blog takes a shine to Winnie, too!
• Author and educator Deb Gonzales interviews me on her blog, Simple Saturday
• Nice review here from a staff member of the Oklahoma Pioneer Library System.
• Here’s the review for Winnie at Farmbarian. A snippet:

“. . . Winnie is an appealing, clever heroine who uses her ecological knowledge to save the day for Quincy’s residents. The humorous, detailed illustrations depicting Winnie’s adventures are bound to elicit chuckles.. . .”