As Seen On:
Windy City Live!
Live Interview with host Val Warner
Children’s Book Author Ruth Spiro appears on ABC-7 Chicago’s Windy City Live to discuss her board book series, Baby Loves Science, with host Val Warner.
Earth Day Every Day: Easy and Fun Ways to Make a Difference
HarperCollins Kids
On April 22, more than a billion people around the world celebrate Earth Day. It’s the perfect time to engage children with the many plants in our environment and learn how to take care of them. But there’s no reason to limit your celebration to just one day!
Try these fun, hands-on activities to help your children develop an appreciation for nature, both outdoors and at home.
Great Cephalopod Books for Kids
Science Friday | Cephalopod Week
For ten years, Science Friday has hosted Cephalopod Week, and along the way, we’ve partnered with science centers, museums, local radio stations, aquariums, and amazing gathering spaces to highlight these eight-armed creatures and the outstanding, octopus-obsessed people who study and care for them.
There are so many wonderful books about cephalopods and their ocean friends. Not sure what books to share with your learners? No problem. Science Friday is here to help. We reached out to some of our favorite children’s book authors for recommendations. Ruth Spiro has authored over thirty children’s books and her work has been praised by Popular Science, Working Mother, and the National Science Teaching Association.
Sparking Babies’ Curiosity One Story at a Time: A Look at the Baby Loves Science Series
Brightly | Raise Kids Who Love to Read
Do you remember what a quark is? Or how a bird’s wing is engineered for flying? If those questions give you pause, you’ll likely get a big kick out of the Baby Loves Science series — right alongside your little one. The books, which are designed for babies and toddlers but are great for preschoolers and grown-ups too, are a wonderful introduction to scientific concepts like aerospace engineering, thermodynamics, and molecules. Think those ideas are too big for babies to grasp? Not so says Ruth Spiro, author of the Baby Loves Science series. We chatted with Ruth to learn more about the very smart way in which she makes science accessible, relatable, and fun for little ones — and how babies are really natural-born scientists.
Writing Science Books for Babies in 3 (not so) Simple Steps
Unabridged: Charlesbridge Publishing
We asked author Ruth Spiro the not-so-simple question: What inspired you to write STEM books for babies?
Since the first two titles in the Baby Loves Science series came out in October 2016, this is the question I’m asked most often. Fortunately, it’s also the easiest to answer!
Back in 2010 The New York Times ran the article “Picture Books No Longer a Staple for Children.” It attributed the drop in picture book sales to the choice some parents were making to bypass picture books for their very young children in favor of more “sophisticated” reading material. I was discussing the article with friends and wondered aloud, “What do these parents want, quantum physics for babies?”
The STEM Read Podcast: Speaking Up Without Talking Down
Northern Public Radio
Gillian and Kristin talk with NIU’s Dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts Paul Kassel about the importance of performance in communicating science. Next, Ruth Spiro joins us to talk about communicating complex science ideas to young children through her Baby Loves Science books.
The STEM Read Podcast: Batman is a Maker
Northern Public Radio
From clever costumed superheroes to persistent little girls, makers come in all shapes and sizes. Host Gillian King-Cargile (@gkingcargile) will highlight new stories that focus on thinking, tinkering, and making. First, she’ll interview Ruth Spiro (@RuthSpiro), author of Made By Maxine and the Baby Loves Science series, about her latest book Maxine and the Greatest Garden Ever. The book explores the friendship between two very different makers who want to build, grow, and make the world a little more functional and fabulous.
How Can I Help?
Nerdy Book Club
As a children’s book author, I delight in engaging with young readers at school visits, book festivals and conferences. True, these are opportunities to promote my books – but more importantly, these interactions nourish my creative soul and help me stay connected to the world in which my readers live.
Ruth Spiro Winds a Trail from Idea to Story
Tara Lazar’s Storystorm
When someone asks me where my book ideas come from, I basically re-enact a scene from the movie Working Girl. You know, the one where Melanie Griffith is asked how she came up with the idea for investing in a radio station. She pulls out a folder with seemingly random notes and news clippings, then proceeds to connect the dots, showing how each bit of information made her think of something else that eventually led her to the Big Idea.
Quarks, Aerospace Engineering & Advice for Young Writers
Three Questions with Debbie Ohi (Please change this link on Press page too)
When I first began writing for children, my two daughters were young and I was immersed in a world of picture books, sand toys, ballet lessons, and new “best friends” every day. Ideas and inspiration swirled around me like fireflies on a summer night. But as time went on, my girls grew out of this stage and I no longer had that personal window into the world I was writing about.
Of course, having kids in your home isn’t a prerequisite for writing children’s books! With or without kids, most writers are very good at accessing memories from their own childhoods as inspiration. But sometimes I need something more tangible to help shake loose the cobwebs.
A Successful Children’s Author Tells Us How She Did It
Chicken Soup for the Soul Podcast with Publisher Amy Newmark
It’s Friend Friday and today we’re going to talk to Ruth Spiro, a Chicken Soup for the Soul contributor who’s attracted quite a bit of attention for her line of baby books about science, weighty subjects like quantum physics and thermodynamics.
Making Science Accessible for Small Children
All the Wonders with Matthew Winner
Ruth Spiro and Irene Chan, author and illustrator respectively of the Baby Loves Science book series, stop by the podcast to talk about science topics relating to baby’s world, inspiration at Jane Yolen’s picture book boot camp, and making science accessible for small children.
Picturebooking with Nic Patton
Ruth Spiro is the author of the Baby Loves Science series. We discuss the first two books in the series, Baby Loves Aerospace Engineering and Baby Loves Quarks!