Katherine

Roy

Author & Illustrator of Children’s Books

Science-Based Writer

Travels from: Portland, OR

“Exceptional and arresting… Roy holds readers’ attention with her approachable writing style and astonishing statistics.” — Booklist

Katherine Roy is the award-winning author and illustrator of many science-based books for kids, including her Robert F. Sibert Honor Book Neighborhood Sharks: Hunting with the Great Whites of California’s Farallon Islands,and How to Be an Elephant: Growing Up in the African Wild. She is also the illustrator of numerous other books, including Barb Rosenstock’s Otis and Will Discover the Deep and Sea Without a Shore: Life in the Sargasso, Richard Ho’s Red Rover, and Kirsten W. Larson’s The Fire of Stars. She lives with her husband and sons in western Oregon.

Her book, Making More, is a groundbreaking book that explains and demystifies how everything from fish to mammals and plants to insects reproduce. Katherine distills the science of reproduction into its simplest components: organisms must meet, merge their DNA, and grow new individuals; and she thoughtfully highlights the astonishing variety of this process with examples from across the natural world, from plants to insects to fish, birds, mammals, and more. Lucid, informed, and illuminated by beautiful paintings, Making More weaves a story that seamlessly explains life’s most fundamental process, answers children’s questions, and provides an essential tool for parents, caregivers, and educators.

Katherine's Featured Titles

Nonfiction Safari: Sharks, Elephants, and the Wild Side of Inquiry

In-Person School Visit

Join author/illustrator Katherine Roy for this dynamic safari through the writing, drawing, and field research behind her award-winning books Neighborhood Sharks and How to Be an Elephant. Packed with animal science, sketches, humor, and on-location footage from the field, Roy delivers a unique presentation on how she utilizes the WISER inquiry model and her own curiosity about the natural world to create her nonfiction books. Where does wonder begin? How can research be an adventure? How can big failures while writing or drawing lead to more resilience and even bigger breakthroughs? Students will be spellbound by this behind-the-scenes look at Roy’s entire bookmaking process and fall in love with learning about these extraordinary creatures, while teachers and librarians will walk away with new ideas for how to incorporate research, writing, and drawing into their classroom curriculums. This presentation can be tailored to fit all ages and the specific needs of any school—it can also focus on just sharks, just elephants, or both.

Inquiry in Action: A Five-Part Virtual Nonfiction Workshop with Katherine Roy

Virtual School Workshop

Drawing from her unique experiences as a field researcher, artist, and informational storyteller, author/illustrator Katherine Roy is now offering a virtual five-part nonfiction writing and drawing workshop for 4th–8th grade students. Over the course of the workshop, students will visit Roy’s studio for a rare, behind-the-scenes look at her step-by-step approach to creating nonfiction books. Each session will start with a 15-minute presentation on a new aspect of the WISER inquiry model—WONDER, INVESTIGATE, SYNTHESIZE, EXPRESS—followed by a discussion and Q&A so that students can ask for advice about their own in-progress nonfiction projects. In between virtual sessions, Roy will coordinate with the teacher/librarian as students work on creating their own nonfiction “juicy paragraph” and accompanying illustration by the end of the workshop. The final session, REFLECT, will celebrate the completed projects, and give students an opportunity to briefly share what they learned and what they’re proud of. This workshop can be tailored to the specific needs or interests of the teacher/librarian and typically takes two-three months to complete, as students will need time between sessions to complete each step of their projects and various non-school days and holidays frequently interrupt the planned schedule.

MAKING MORE: Using Story and Science to Have ‘The Talk’ With Your Kid

Parent Night Out

As a mother of two boys—ages seven and three—author/illustrator Katherine Roy knows how to use nature as a starting point for having ‘The Talk’ with kids on how life begins. Her new book, Making More: How Life Begins is a tool to help parents and children better understand this incredible process, and to meet a child’s questions with a shared sense of joy and wonder. In this fun and engaging evening workshop for parents, Roy will share a behind-the-scenes look at creating her book and discuss the fascinating science of sexual reproduction—or “crossing”—in living organisms. Through compelling storytelling and accessible science, participants will learn how living organisms must meet and merge their DNA to create new life, and how this process is both what makes the natural world so diverse and—by extension—what makes every human being so unique. Not only will parents leave with a better understanding of basic facts about genes, fertilization, growth, and birth across living organisms, but they will also gain ideas for how to use plant and animal examples to build safe spaces for their children to ask questions like “How do babies get out?” and “How do babies get in?” Participants will be invited to consider new approaches and activities to take this tricky topic and turn it into an easy conversation, and brainstorm how they can help harness our natural curiosity about reproduction to grow more resilient, well-informed kids. This workshop pairs well with an in-person school visit.

MAKING MORE: Using Story and Science to Talk With Kids About How Life Begins

Parenting/Professional Development Workshop

In this workshop, author-illustrator Katherine Roy will share the science and storytelling behind her new nonfiction picture book, Making More: How Life Begins. By using the book’s plant and animal examples to demystify reproduction and cut through taboos, Roy will walk participants through how this tool for parents can be used as an essential resource for families and educators. During this session, participants will:

Examine the basic elements of sexual reproduction—meet, merge, grow, and change—using familiar plant and animal organisms that are native the Pacific Northwest
Explore how a storytelling framework, along with the absence of representing human reproduction, can reduce parental stress around this topic while still providing a child with accurate information on how reproduction works
Discuss strategies for how the book can be used by parents, caregivers, and educators, including sample nature-based learning activities, the WISER inquiry model, and related tools and resources to help make space for children to ask questions

The workshop will begin with a dynamic PowerPoint presentation, exploring why the book was created; sharing examples of reproduction across different organisms—turtles, trout, ferns, hawks, bumblebees, oak trees, squirrels, deer, and more; detailing Roy’s writing process—from fun idioms for page headers to choosing vocabulary and meeting K-5 Science Standards; and explaining how she utilized her careful research to inform the final paintings. After the PowerPoint, Roy will first lead a Q&A with participants, and then discuss sample activities that could be paired with the book to foster nature-based learning and help build safe spaces for children to ask questions. As time allows, participants may use breakout groups to further discuss how the book and the suggested activities could be applied in their own families/professional fields.

PHaEDRA Fall Author Series #1, Kirsten Larson and Katherine Roy

Red Rover Read Aloud

Elephant Book Cover Time-Lapse Drawing

Books To Treasure 2022 with author/illustrator Katherine Roy

Farallon Islands Time-Lapse Drawing

For this debut picture book, the author joined researchers who tag and follow these sharks, and she’s distilled their findings in a way that’s sure to attract young readers . . . Full of the eww factor, up-to-date facts and kid appeal, this splendid, gory introduction is not for the faint of heart!” — Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“The energetic illustrations are whimsical on one page, scientifically precise on the next . . . Roy reels you in with startling facts, then shows how a dominant species is really vulnerable, dependent on humans to choose to practice conservation.” — New York Times Book Review

“Immersive illustrations and careful attention to detail in both the text and art combine to create a rewarding study of a remarkable animal.” — Publishers Weekly, starred review

Katherine Roy’s Blog

Neighborhood Sharks – Core Curriculum Guide

How to Be an Elephant – Core Curriculum Guide

Otis and Will Discover the Deep – Curriculum Guide

Katherine’s Hometown Bookstore

Honors, Awards & Recognition

Tulsa Books to Treasure – Featured Author

Media clips

Coming soon!

Media Kit

By clicking the link below you will be directed to a Google Docs Folder
where you can download author photos and cover images.

Roy

Nonfiction Safari: Sharks, Elephants, and the Wild Side of Inquiry

Inquiry in Action: A Five-Part Virtual Nonfiction Workshop with Katherine Roy

MAKING MORE: Using Story and Science to Have ‘The Talk’ With Your Kid

MAKING MORE: Using Story and Science to Talk With Kids About How Life Begins

Honors, Awards & Recognition

Media clips

Media Kit

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