Rebecca Hirsch—Wonder Wings: Guess Who's Flying

Advance copy: Backstories on books by NASW members

Wonder Wings

WONDER WINGS: GUESS WHO'S FLYING
(The Nature Riddles and Rhymes Series)
Rebecca E. Hirsch, Illustrations by Sally Soweol Han
Abrams, April 15, 2025, $19.99
Hardcover ISBN-13: 9781419769252
For readers aged 4-8 years

Hirsch reports:

As a science writer for children and teens, I'm always wrestling with how to draw young readers into a topic. When I wanted to write a book about wings for young children, I decided to try a guessing book. My plan: A series of riddles would describe the actions of different wings, and the reader would turn the page to discover the owner of the wings.

Rebecca Hirsch

Guessing books for young children are often written in rhyme, so I decided to see if I could write the manuscript that way. I spent a lot of time poring over a thesaurus and a rhyming dictionary, scribbling lists of rhyming pairs, and trying to craft verses that were factual and fun. I wrote far more verses than I could ever use. I revised and revised and whittled the book down to a selection of my favorites.

My agent Sarah Stephens sold Wonder Wings to Courtney Code, an editor at Abrams, in a two-book deal. My follow-up book on animal feet will be published next year.

Because of the nature of children's publishing—shorter books and lower advances—it is not unusual for children's science writers to juggle several book projects at once and publish multiple books in a year. I've found this can lead to some quirky publication patterns.

Poisonous Plants

For instance, my previous book, A Deathly Compendium of Poisonous Plants: Wicked Weeds and Sinister Seeds was published by Zest in October 2024. In that book, I drew young adults into the topic of poisonous plants using a true crime approach and a Gothic and sassy voice. In tone and topic, that book is a long way from Wonder Wings.

Writing books with such different approaches for such a wide range of ages can be dizzying, but it is rarely dull.

Contact info:-

Rebecca Hirsch, rebeccahirsch@mac.com
- Website: http://rebeccahirsch.com
- Instagram: rebeccaehirsch
Book:
- Publisher’s website: Wonder Wings: Guess Who's Flying
- Author’s website: Wonder Wings: Guess Who's Flying
Publicist: childrenspublicity@abramsbooks.com
Agent: Sarah Stephens, sarah@redfoxliterary.com

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Banner image adapted from original photo by Rebecca Hirsch.

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Advance Copy

The path from idea to book may take myriad routes. The Advance Copy column, started in 2000 by NASW volunteer book editor Lynne Lamberg, features NASW authors telling the stories behind their books. Authors are asked to report how they got their idea, honed it into a proposal, found an agent and a publisher, funded and conducted their research, and organized their writing process. They also are asked to share what they wish they’d known when they started or would do differently next time, and what advice they can offer aspiring authors. Lamberg edits the authors’ answers to produce the Advance Copy reports.

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