by Linda Redding

I caught up with science author and educator Brian Cassie in Plymouth this winter at the rare sighting of an Ivory Gull.

One book that I keep in my car for quick reference is the National Audubon Society Field Guide to New England that you wrote along  with Peter Alden. You have also authored a couple of other field guides.  Does the writing of a field guide differ than writing a book like Say It Again, The Butterfly Alphabet Book, or Tornadoes?

Writing a field guide is all about getting the facts straight. Don't get it right and your credibility is shot. So it is weeks of choosing material, writing about it, matching up photos to text, and having editors say, "We need one more line." Editors are indispensible and make good books better. And they keep you on your toes.

Say It Again is a wonderful book to read to early readers.  What inspired you to write an animal book in rhyme?

I wrote this book as a story about a brother and sister who end up visiting a land where all of the animals have double names. I liked the idea but the editor chucked all the "story" text, also in verse, in the trash and just kept the poems. Oh well. But your real question was why rhyming and the answer is because I like rhymes. I wrote a poem a day for quite a spell. Maybe I'll find them and look them over. Thanks for reminding me.

A few years ago you were facilitating an after school nature program for students in Halifax and presenting professional developments workshops to the teachers.   Now, you are back in the classroom.  How does it feel to be back in the classroom?

I am in the classroom but not technically back in the classroom, as this is my first teaching job. The students and their parents are very appreciative of my work and our work together and so it is most worthwhile and fun being a science teacher.

What did you think of the Ivory Gull visiting Plymouth, MA this winter?

Ivory Gulls of any age are a rare sight in New England. Two adult Ivory Gulls at the same time in Massachusetts....one in Plymouth and the other in Gloucester....was magical. Of course, I went to see both of them and loved my time viewing them.

What projects are you working on now?

Right now my #1 writing project is in the research phase...and has been for many years. I am gathering information on the seashells of New England for a popular book on the subject. Most of the data I have is my own and is based on thousands of hours of fieldwork and lab work. I wrote The Butterfly Alphabet Book in four hours. This book has taken ten years...so far!

For more information about Brian Cassie visit:
http://www.charlesbridge.com/contributorinfo.cfm?ContribID=59

Linda Redding is Library Teacher at Silver Lake Regional High School