You've arrived at the website of
K.C. Hayes, writer of picture books and thinker up of some other stuff.
Moving Words About a Flower follows the travels of a very determined little dandelion. As the story unfolds, its words fall, leap, scatter, and tumble—just like its humble little hero. Every sentence is fun to read and fun to look at, from the scene of a tiny sprout popping up through the sidewalk, to its journey to the countryside, to its seeds sailing away to another new home. In the back of the book, kids can learn about the life cycle of dandelions, how their seeds can fly on the wind, and even which animals find them tasty.
"The “moving words” of the title perfectly describe the poem’s text as it flows around the pages, changing color and size and adding interest and excitement as readers look forward to its placement in the book’s progression...Both pictures and text take readers through four seasons as the words form the rain, snow, and wind the dandelion experiences."
-Booklist (starred review)
"The clever integration of text, color, and imagery has the words dancing across the pages in the style of shape or concrete poetry...Readers will enjoy following the frolicking text, excited to see where it goes at the next turn of the page..."
-School Library Journal
"The book's playful visual imagery...makes for an engaging read."
-The Horn Book Magazine
"...a nice informational book for young children."
-Bay Views
News!!!
- Charlesbridge is issuing a paperback edition of Moving Words About a Flower, to join their Spring 2025 list. The planned release date is March 11, 2025. The paperback is expected to be of interest to teachers and librarians—and kids and parents.
-Moving Words About a Flower was selected for the 2023 Outstanding Science Trade Books list,
a joint project of the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) and the Children’s Book Council.
-The translation rights for Moving Words About a Flower were sold by Charlesbridge to a STEM-oriented publisher in Turkey. Release date was Summer 2023.
Other stuff
that K.C. thought up
Interactive Ideas
Greeting Cards
T-Shirts
Inventions
K.C. Hayes grew up in a small town on the banks of the Ohio River. Then he went to college, and then he played guitar in rock bands, and then he wrote ads for a living (and funny greeting cards for fun). Along the way he invented things for kids and adults. Now he's a "kidlit" author who writes stories and plays the ukulele. He lives in Missoula, Montana, together with his lovely wife and an adorable cat—plus a cat that’s not so adorable.*
*Apologies to Jonathan Katz
About K.C.
All picture book illustrations on this page, including backgrounds, are ® Copyright 2024 by Barbara Chotiner
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® 2024 George K.C. Hayes