Author: Kirsten W. Larson

Kirsten W. Larson used to work with rocket scientists at NASA. Now she writes books for curious kids. She’s the author of WOOD, WIRE, WINGS: Emma Lilian Todd Invents an Airplane, illustrated by Tracy Subisak (Calkins Creek, 2020), A TRUE WONDER: The Comic Book Her Who Changed Everything, illustrated by Katy Wu (Clarion, 2021); THE FIRE OF STARS: The Life and Brilliance of the Woman Who Discovered What Stars are Made of, illustrated by Katherine Roy (Chronicle, 2023), and THE LIGHT OF RESISTANCE, illustrated by Barbara McClintock (Roaring Brook, 2023) along with 25 other nonfiction books for kids. She's a geek, LEGO lover, and sock enthusiast. Find her at kirsten-w-larson.com or on Twitter/Instagram @KirstenWLarson.

It’s always a joy to have your book appear on an end of year best books list alongside books you admire. Thanks to BOOKLIST for including A TRUE WONDER on its 2021 Editor’s Choice list.

And I love the review: “This story about Wonder Woman — in comics, television, and movies — splendidly parallels the history of women in America over the past 80 years. The text stresses how women creators, especially of the 1940s and ’60s, defied expectations, vanquishing misogynistic villains at every turn.”

Thank you, Booklist! And congrats to all the creators on this list.

school visits

Free, virtual visits for World Read Aloud Day

December 6, 2021 Kirsten W. Larson

Teachers and librarians…I’m now booking free, 20-minute, virtual school visits for World Read Aloud Day (held on Feb. 2, 2022) via the platform of your choice (Meet, Zoom, or Skype). Here’s what a virtual visit entails.

1-2 minutes: I’ll give quick intro and talk a little bit about my books.
3-5 minutes: I’ll read aloud a portion of A TRUE WONDER: The Comic Book Hero Who Changed Everything OR WOOD, WIRE, WINGS: Emma Lilian Todd Invents an Airplane.
5-10 minutes: I’ll answer a few questions from students about reading/writing.
1-2 minutes: I’ll book-talk a couple of books I love (but didn’t write!) as recommendations for your students.

Ready to sign up? Click on the Sign Up Genius icon below to secure your spot. Please do not sign up until you can commit to a 20-minute time slot (one per school).

Books, Holidays, Reading, Toys

Picture Books Make Magical Gifts!

November 12, 2021 Kirsten W. Larson

Give a picture book this holiday season!

Share the joy of reading this holiday season. Whether it’s a package of picture books or a toy/book pairing, books make magical gifts. Find a slew of books and related gifts in this Soaring ’20s Holiday Gift Guide, which features the A TRUE WONDER gifts below.

Order your gifts now for best selection and availability.

Books, History, News

Big Book News: My first graphic novel

October 28, 2021 Kirsten W. Larson

I’m so excited to share that my first-ever graphic novel is currently in the works with the incredible Barbara McClintock, who illustrated my all-time favorite version of THE MITTEN. The book is actually a graphic novel/verse novel mash-up, of the completely true (and incredible story) of museum curator Rose Valland.

Books, Holidays, Just for fun, Toys

7 Gifts for Wonder Women of All Ages

October 21, 2021October 21, 2021 Kirsten W. Larson

It’s Wonder Woman Day! Our superhero celebrates 80 years on newsstands this month. And today she’ll be inducted into the Comic-Con Character Hall of Fame. HOORAY!

What better way to celebrate than with some of my favorite Wonder Woman gifts and gear for all ages.

A TRUE WONDER: The Comic Book Hero Who Changed Everything by Kirsten W. Larson, illustrated by Katy Wu, is the true story of how Wonder Woman was created, how’s she’s grown and changed through the years, and how she’s inspired people around the world. It’s available wherever books are sold, but Once Upon a Time Bookstore has autographed copies and art postcards.
What better place to capture story ideas, poems, and all your innermost thoughts than a Wonder Woman Moleskine notebook.
Any Wonder Woman needs a steady stream of tea, coffee, or hot chocolate to fuel her adventures. Check out this awesome mug. I have the travel version.
Everyone needs Wonder Woman tees and clothes. I love these retro clothes from Unique Vintage. I own this entire outfit, which is just waiting for an in-person school visit.
Hallmark has a host of Wonder Woman ornaments, and I’ve received several as gifts through the years. This year’s limited-edition ornament is a nod to her very first issue.
Wonder Woman LEGOs! I had a Wonder Woman LEGO key chain for years, and a friend just gifted me this 1941 1st Appearance Minifig. So cute.
Knee socks. Or any socks. I have tons, including these knee socks with capes, though my capes are gold.

Books

9 Books Celebrating Comic Creators for #NationalComicBookDay

September 25, 2021July 18, 2021 Kirsten W. Larson

It’s National Comic Book Day! Today we celebrate comic books and all the writers and artists, who create them.

According to the National Day Calendar, the first hardcover comic book was The Adventures of Obadiah Oldbuck, which was published in 1842. The first modern-day comic book didn’t appear until 1933, Famous Funnies, a reprint of several comic strips. Of course, comic books really came into their own during World War II, with superheroes like Superman, Batman, and my favorite, Wonder Woman. To learn more about the history of comic books, c heck out this post from Book Riot.

Today, I’m celebrating National Comic Book Day with a nine books highlighting the accomplishments of comic book creators.

Picture Books

A TRUE WONDER: The Comic Book Hero Who Changed Everything by Kirsten W. Larson, illustrated by Katy Wu

WITH GREAT POWER: The Marvelous Stan Lee by Annie Hunter Eriksen, illustrated by Lee Gatlin

BOYS OF STEEL: The Creators of Superman by Marc Tyler Nobleman, illustrated by Ross Macdonald

BILL: The Boy Wonder by Marc Tyler Nobleman, illustrated by Ty Templeton

JACK KIRBY: Creator & Artist by Sue Hamilton

Independent Readers

THE STORY OF STAN LEE: A Biography for New Readers by Frank J. Berrios

WHO WAS STAN LEE? by Geoff Edgers

WHAT IS THE STORY OF BATMAN? by Michael Burgan

What is the Story of Wonder Woman? cover

WHAT IS THE STORY OF WONDER WOMAN? by Steve Korte

Books, News

Sneak Peek: FIRE OF STARS Talk for Harvard’s Project Phaedra

September 7, 2021 Kirsten W. Larson

This is an picture of the Fall Author Series line up.

Want a sneak peek at my Fall 2022 title, THE FIRE OF STARS with illustrator Katherine Roy (Chronicle Books)? We’ll be chatting about our inspiration, research, and more with Harvard/The Smithsonian as part of Project Phaedra’s Fall Author Series Sept. 14.

What’s Project Phaedra? According to their website: “Project PHaEDRA is an initiative by the Wolbach Library, in collaboration with many partners, to catalog, digitize, transcribe, and enrich the metadata of over 2500 logbooks and notebooks produced by the Harvard computers and early Harvard astronomers. Our goal is to ensure that this remarkable set of items, created by a remarkable group of people, is as accessible and useful as possible.”

These notebooks include those of astrophysicist Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin, the subject of THE FIRE OF STARS.

This event is free and open to the public. And it’s ONLINE. Sign up to join us here.

Books

WOOD, WIRE, WINGS is a 2021 Bank Street Best Book

August 30, 2021 Kirsten W. Larson

This is an image of the cover of WOOD, WIRE, WINGS.

I’m thrilled to share that WOOD, WIRE, WINGS has been named a 2021 Bank Street College of Education Best Book for ages 5 to 9.

According to The College’s website: “The Children’s Book Committee strives to guide librarians, educators, parents, grandparents, and other interested adults to the best books for children published each year. The list includes more than 600 titles chosen by reviewers for literary quality and excellence of presentation as well as the potential emotional impact of the books on young readers. Other criteria include credibility of characterization and plot, authenticity of time and place, age suitability, positive treatment of ethnic and religious differences, and the absence of stereotypes.”

Looking for great titles for all ages? Find all of Bank Street’s recommendations here.

Books

12 Books to Celebrate #NationalAviationDay

August 19, 2021August 19, 2021 Kirsten W. Larson

Happy #NationalAviationDay. In 1939, President Franklin D. Roosevelt turned the anniversary of Orville Wright’s birthday into this U.S. National Holiday.

This year, I’m celebrating this annual event with a book list for young readers.

Inspiring True Stories in Aeronautics

A DREAM OF FLIGHT: Alberto Santos-Dumont’s Race Around the Eiffel Tower by Jef Polivka, illus. Rob Polivka (Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 2019)
THE FEARLESS FLIGHTS OF HAZEL YING LEE by Julie Leung, illus. Julie Kwon (Little Brown, 2021)
Fearless Flyer: Ruth Law and Her Flying Machine by Heather Lang, illus. Raul Colon (Calkins Creek, 2016)
FLYING FREE: How Bessie Coleman’s Dreams Took Flight by Karyn Parsons, illus. R. Gregory Christie (Little Brown, 2020)
THE FLYING GIRL: How Aide de Costa Learned to Soar by Margarita Engle, illus. Sara Palacios (Atheneum, 2018) NOTE: Also published in Spanish as La joven aviadora
FLYING MACHINES: How the Wright Brothers Soared (Science Comics) by Alison Wilgus, illus. Molly Brooks (First Second, 2017)
THE STORY OF THE WRIGHT BROTHERS: A Biography for New Readers by Annette Whipple (Rockridge Press, 2020)
UP & DOWN: The Adventures of John Jeffries, First American to Fly by Don Brown (Charlesbridge, 2018)
WOOD, WIRE, WINGS: Emma Lilian Todd Invents an Airplane by Kirsten W. Larson, illus. Tracy Subisak (Calkins Creek, 2020)

Airplane Books

DK: The Big Book of Airplanes (DK, 2016)
JUMBO: The Making of the Boeing 747 by Chris Gall (Roaring Brook, 2020)
MACHINES IN MOTION: The Amazing History of Transportation by Tom Jackson, illus. Chris Mould (Bloomsbury, 2020)

Books

Now Available: A TRUE WONDER Educators Guide

August 16, 2021 Kirsten W. Larson

This is a picture of the A TRUE WONDER Educators Guide

A True Wonder Educators Guide Download

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Picture Books

Independent Readers

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Inspiring True Stories in Aeronautics

Airplane Books

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