About this item
In Elkhorn Slough, an inlet on the California coast, seagrass grows healthy and strong in the shallow water. This healthy seagrass baffled marine biologist Brent Hughes. The scientist expected this estuary to be overrun with algae, causing the seagrass to die. Why was the seagrass thriving? As Brent investigated, signs pointed to an unexpected player helping to keep the seagrass healthy: sea otters! What do these top predators have to do with an aquatic grass at the opposite end of the food chain? Brent's amazing discovery gave scientists insight into the delicate balance of ecosystems. Follow science in action as Brent conducts the research that led to this major discovery.
About the Author
Many people think writers sit in front of their computers sipping coffee waiting for inspiration to strike. My inspiration usually strikes in the car ferrying kids on field trips or driving to music lessons. I do my best to carve out two or three hours in the early morning after my kids leave for school and my husband leaves for work, but it doesn't always work out. After a few hours I have to change hats and work on a volunteer project or drive my kids someplace. In order to eke out another hour or so each day, I taught myself to write on the run. I carry a manuscript wherever I go. If a story needs a bit of research, I take the source with me and makes notes while waiting in the pick-up line at school. I call it power writing.With the publication of Jingle the Brass, I discovered that public speaking is part of the writing process. My lively presentations are popular with schools and libraries, and I like to give my audience a new appreciation for the rigors of writing and selling a children's book. Writing for children is the hardest thing I've ever done. The children's publishing field is extremely competitive, but I'm not deterred. I write because I can't imagine not writing. I write for myself and for the kids who read my work. I write for the joy of seeing a kid sitting in the front row at a school visit, hand stretched high to answer my questions. I write for the kid who tells me he's read my books 15 times.Learn more at www.patriciamnewman.com
