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Ron’s writing career began when he became fascinated with children’s books he read to his daughter, Nichol. He also works as a biologist and when he tried to find nature books to enhance Nichol’s curiosity about the world around her, he found few that combined real life images and accurate science. He was also seeing, firsthand, the incredible damage to stream and ocean habitats that was occurring in the 1970s in the Pacific Northwest. Ron felt a need to add his voice to the growing concern over declining animal populations and soon began writing books with a vision to bring young readers portraits of the beauty of nature as well as information about the ecology and natural habitat of wild creatures he studies and tries to protect. His writing and field research often blend with fun environmental projects. Ron involves his readers with the subjects of his books and has been invited to schools to create nature trails, plant butterfly gardens, restore streams, and to design a marsh that supports plants long used by Native Americans as basket weaving materials. At home in Washington State, he recently teamed with an after-school program to create an ambitious effort that included protection of Nick’s Lagoon, a 35-acre estuary and watershed that are home to endangered salmon. In the midwest, Ron has introduced hundreds of young people to the water world. He has also helped restore wetlands and even had a hand in “bringing a whale to Ohio." Okay, it's a whale sculpture, but a life-sized whale tail that is a great example of how his work inspires the pairing of art and ecology within schools and communities. You can see the whale at www.palsofthepacific.org along with updates on stream restoration and beaver workshops at Nick’s Lagoon. Ron Hirschi's books often evolve from working with students. Pieces of their writing, ideas gathered during hands-on writing sessions, and the enthusiasm for a particular kind of animal all make an impression. His book Whalemail grew from the hundreds of class visits in which Ron wrote postcards to kids in the persona of a whale. His newest book, Swimming With Humuhumu builds on the postcard theme and features his two (imaginary so far) grandchildren as they discover the wonders of Hawai’i and write notes and messages in a bottle back to their Gramma, Ron’s wife of 35 years, Brenda. Ron and Brenda live on Marrowstone Island at the edge of the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State. He works as a Fisheries Biologist for Pacific Northwest Indian Tribes and has written many technical reports on fish and wildlife. He especially enjoys collaborating with other artists. He and Tom Mangelsen share a passion for the natural world and have worked together for more than a dozen years. When not working as a biologist or writing, Ron spends time hiking, fishing, snorkeling, reading, cooking, or baking chocolate chip cookies. |
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Ocean Seasons Seasons change in the ocean much as they do on land. Spring brings new plants and baby animals, while summer oceans are aglow with sparkly plankton lights, and autumn winds blow across the open water. In winter the humpback whales migrate to warmer waters, just as some land animals move to warmer climates. In fun, fanciful form, children learn about plants and animals that are joined through the mix of seasons, food webs and habitats beneath the waves. While set in the Pacific, similar changes occur in all the world's oceans. |
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Searching for Grizzlies Spectacular photographs of grizzly bears are paired with field sketches to bring the reader face to face with the largest of land predators. Thomas Mangelsen’s images include never-before-seen photos of the bears taking down elk and sensitive portraits of females with their cubs. Deborah Cooper’s soft touches help illustrate “scaps of paper” dropped on to the main pages as if written in the rush of a moment while tracking the great bears. Both Ron and Tom have spent many hours following and studying grizzlies and call for us to become more aware of their wilderness home. |
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Swimming With Humuhumu This fun exploration of Hawai’i features two young visitors from the mainland. Join Maddie and Cole as they snorkel, surf, and discover whales, porpoises, and more. “Little Books within the Book” fold out to reveal details about coral reefs, sea turtles, and other ocean life. Postcards to Gramma and a Message in a Bottle also fold out from the pages as our two explorers share their adventures with the reader. |
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Who Lives in the Coral Reef? The beauty of the coral reef is stunningly illustrated on the wrap around cover of this coloring book that invites readers to dive in and discover the wonders of ocean life. Text includes Hawai’ian words and information about the ecology of the reef. Using the same guessing format as Ron’s series of picturebooks with Barbara Bash, Who Lives in the Coral Reef challenges the reader as he or she fills the pages with color of their own. |
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Whalemail Two young whale watchers accompany scientists on a sailing adventure to study the migration of humpback whales between Alaska and Hawai’i. Along the way, postcards offer the reader a personal account of the journey, while main pages provide the reader with a wealth of information about whales and their ocean home. Postcards are tucked inside whaletail die-cut pages and a folding flap wraps around the end to hold all in place. |
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Seals (ISBN 978-0-7614-1445-2) |
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When Morning Comes (ISBN 978-1-56397-767-1) Early morning is a time of great activity for animals. It is also a time of beauty, as the sun paints the earth with fresh light. Dew sparkles in the meadows. Flowers dot the mountainsides. And many animals awaken for a new day. Here is the story of the moments when morning wildlife begin their day. It is also a look at change, as some animals sneak away to sleep during daylight hours and others hunt, spread wings for warmth, or find places to play. Writer/photographer team Ron Hirschi and Thomas Mangelsen have spent many hours observing and recording the activities of wildlife. They invite you to get to know the morning animals and enjoy the special moments when each new day begins. |
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When Night Comes (ISBN 978-1-56397-766-4) Nightfall is the hour of predators stalking their prey. It is also a time when the sun paints the sky in brilliant colors. And, it is a time when some of the busiest animals go about their tasks—beavers are among the most fun to watch. Writer/photographer team Ron Hirschi and Thomas Mangelsen have spent many years observing and recording the activities of wildlife, as they go about their days and nights. They invite you to get to know the animals of nightfall—those that become active at the time you are about to sleep. |
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Octopuses (ISBN 978-1-57505-386-8) These Carolrhoda Nature Watch books briefly describe the anatomy, behavior, habitat, food, predators, and life cycle of the creature. |
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What Is a Bird? (ISBN 978-0-8027-6720-2) Hirschi describes the basic characteristics of each animal in simple language. Illustrated with full-page color. |
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Faces in the Forest (ISBN 978-0-525-65224-3) Wildlife Watchers First Guide books combine photographs of birds, fish and mammals. |
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People of Salmon and Cedar A look at the relationship of Native Americans with the land and wildlife of the Northwest Coast. |
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Dance With Me This collaboration shows animals in actions we might call dancing and explains the way animals make use of these motions. |
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When the Wolves Return A look at the plight of the wolf in North America including the legends and beliefs of the Iroquois and Pacific Northwest Indians and a plea to help preserve these wild creatures. |
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Turtle’s Day Hirschi and Kuhn show a typical day in the life of a box turtle. |
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A Time for Playing (ISBN 978-0-525-65159-8) How Animals Live books with close-up action shots of animals. |
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Save Our Forests (ISBN 978-0-385-31076-5) One Earth Books produced for the National Audubon Society focus on the dangers faced by animals and plants of each habitat. Hirschi offers many suggestions of ways to get involved in the preservation and protection of each habitat. |
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Where Are My Bears? (ISBN 978-0-553-35473-7) Hirschi’s simple text and the Bauers’ photographs of endangered wildlife urge children to preserve and protect the earth’s wild places. |
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Hungry Little Frog A very simple text combines with vivid close-up photographs as a small frog tries to catch a meal. |
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Seya’s Song A poetic look at the relationship of salmon, seasons, and tribal traditions seen through the eyes of a contemporary S’Klallam girl. The book shows us the natural world of the Puget Sound islands. Ron was the recipient of the Washington Governor’s Writer Award in 1993 for his book Seya's Song. The first children’s book to include S’Klallam Indian words, Seya’s Song tells the story of the S’Klallam people through the eyes of a young girl and features delicate watercolors that portray the land and waterscape of the
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Discover My World: Desert (ISBN 978-0-553-08012-4) Wildlife of each habitat are introduced through “who am I?” questions with watercolor illustrations of each species providing clues for young naturalists to identify. |
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Harvest Song A little girl describes helping her grandmother harvest crops by hand. |
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Loon Lake Large, clear photographs show plants and animals on a northern lake as seen on a quiet canoe ride. |
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Fall (ISBN 978-0-525-65053-9) Each of these four books pairs a poetic look at the change of seasons with the beautiful nature photographs of Thomas D. Mangelsen. |
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The Mountain Bluebird A look at this least-known species of bluebird and its habitat. |
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Where Do Birds Live? (ISBN 978-0-8027-6723-3) Brief text and color photographs show the habitat of wild and domestic animals. |
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City Geese This collaboration with photographer Galen Burrell looks at Canadian geese adapting to city life. |
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Headgear A look at animals with horns and antlers. |
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One Day on Pika’s Peak A close look at this small mountain weasel and its habitat. |
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Black-Footed Ferrets? (ISBN 978-0-553-35471-3)