It’s Official!

Guess what arrived? In June, illustrator Dawn Lo and I were honoured to win the 2023 SCBWI Crystal Kite Award in Canada for One Tiny Bubble, and I just received this lovely recognition of it!


I have so much gratitude to Owlkids Books for taking on this project. Karen Li first championed the project, Stacey Roderick was such a thorough and vigorous editor that she was a dream to work with, Dawn Lo brought one tiny bubble to life with the magic of her brush, Alisa Baldwin designed it so well that the book won second place in the Alcuin Society Awards for Excellence in Book Design (Children’s Category), and the marketing and publicity team at Owlkids have been on point and supportive at all times.

This book began during my MFA at the Vermont College of Fine Arts, and I want to acknowledge the wisdom of faculty advisor William Alexander and workshop leader Cynthia Leitich Smith, who enthusiastically welcomed my fledgling manuscript, as well as the support of my writing partners who read many early drafts of this manuscript.

Thanks also to Dr. William F. Martin, author of many scientific articles on life’s early evolution and professor at the Institute of Molecular Evolution in Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf. Dr. Martin enthusiastically reviewed the text and illustrations, and I greatly value his expertise.

And of course, I must recognize the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators and its members. This award is implemented by the SCBWI and peer-selected by its members. I’m grateful for their support.

If you’d like to learn more about One Tiny Bubble, please check out these resources:

Guest Post: Addressing the Monster in the Closet

Guest Post: Addressing the Monster in the Closet

Recently on L.E. Carmichael‘s Cantastic Authorpalooza blog, I talked about my inspiration for writing Monster vs. Boy. To check it out, go to “Karen Krossing: Addressing the Monster in the Closet.” Also, please check out L.E. Carmichael’s fantastic books!

To hear me reading from Monster vs. Boy, please check out this video.

For ideas about how to share Monster vs. Boy with young readers, please see this Discussion Guide.

Guest Post: Sparking Connections With One Tiny Bubble

Guest Post: Sparking Connections With One Tiny Bubble

Today on L.E. Carmichael‘s Cantastic Authorpalooza blog, I talk about my childhood love for science, which grew into my first nonfiction STEM book One Tiny Bubble, illustrated by Dawn Lo. I discuss:

  • how I saw my role as a translator of high-level scientific concepts into child-centred language and experiences.
  • how I used my fiction-writing skills to craft nonfiction.
  • how I helped to connect the child reader to the content.

To check it out, go to “Karen Krossing: Sparking Connections With One Tiny Bubble.” Also, please check out L.E. Carmichael’s fantastic books!