Marta Writes

Books and Other Publications

Kid Lit
Children’s Books That Explore Nature

Marta’s expertise in literacy along with her love for children and interest in nature has produced several award-winning children’s books about wild animals. She has also written children’s books for the educational market as well as articles and short stories for adults.

Bee Catastrophy - We'll Miss They When They're Gone

Bee Catastrophe:
We’ll Miss Them When They’re Gone

Written by Marta Magellan
illustrated by Mauro Magellan

This beautifully illustrated book touches on several causes leading to the collapse of the bee population, especially the new super-pesticides. Children will learn how connected humans are to the natural world through one little insect.

Published January 1, 2023
Fourth book in the Pollinators and Garden Helpers Series
Eifrig Publishing

Teacher’s Guide Bee Catastrophe.pdf

Just Wild Enough, Mireya Mayor, Primatologist by Marta Magellan

JUST WILD ENOUGH: MIREYA MAYOR, PRIMATOLOGIST
September 2022, Published by Albert Whitman & Co.,
Illustrations by Clementine Rocheron

A picture book biography of Mireya Mayor, who traded her pom-poms as a cheerleader for the Miami Dolphins to explore wild places as a primatologist. She even discovered a brand new species.

“Beautiful, luminous illustrations depict the beauty of the wildlife and places Mayor explored, with magical bursts of color conveying her unique personality and love of the wild. Enthusiastic text makes this a great biography to read aloud, with the dangers faced by Mireya—along with her many accomplishments—making this a fun and exciting read. An inspirational story that shows how an explorer and a scientist don’t look one certain way.” — Booklist

“The story effectively documents Mireya’s career path, and attentive readers and caregivers will have moments to consider themes of prejudice and how everyone has unlimited capability for divergent interests. The backmatter, which contains additional information about mouse lemurs and the lemur reserve and an author’s note with more details about Mireya’s career path, including how she obtained her doctorate, will help direct curious readers to learn more. Pleasing and stimulating.” — Kirkus Review

2022 INDIES Finalist, Juvenile Nonfiction (Children’s)

Mireya Mayor traded her pom-poms as a cheerleader for the National Football League for the swamps of the South American jungle. The first woman wildlife TV reporter for National Geographic, she traveled the world. It was only when Mireya went to Madagascar that things FINALLY got wild enough. This biography of the woman who convinced the prime minister of Madagascar to make the mouse lemur’s rain forest a protected national park is an inspiring—and wild story. ~ Forward INDIE

Teacher’s Guide and Activities:

Teacher’s Guide: JUST WILD ENOUGH.pdf

Video: The real Mireya Mayor interview

Curriculum Tie-ins: primates, lemurs, conservation, endangered specie

Flying Jewels, A Hummingbird Story by Marta Magellan

FLYING JEWELS, A HUMMINGBIRD STORY
May, 2021,
illustrated by Mauro Magellan
Eifring Publishing

Fourth book in the Pollinators and Garden Helpers Series

Follow one of these glittering gems, a male Ruby-throated Hummingbird, as it makes its way south for a long journey to its winter home in Mexico, encounters dangers, gets lost, and finds a home at a garden in Florida.

Dragonflies, Water Angels and Brilliant Bioindicators by Marta Magellan

DRAGONFLIES: WATER ANGELS AND BRILLIANT BIOINDICATORS
July, 2020, Eifrig Publishing, with cartoon illustrations by Mauro Magellan, for children 4-8 years old.

A nonfiction book written to bring out the fun of science by using kid-friendly language and cartoon dragonflies mixed with photographs of the real ones.

Dragonflies: Water Angels and Brilliant Bioindicators

School Library Journal
August 2020

Sandra  Welzenbach, Villarreal Elementary School, San Antonio

Gr 1–3—Readers will learn some fascinating facts about these docile  insects. The griffinfly, the precursor to the dragonfly, existed 100  million years before the dinosaurs. According to scientists who study  ancient animals, they were the largest insects of all time. Today,  dragonflies are much smaller. A dragonfly nymph lives one to four years  underwater. It breathes through its gills, which are inside its butt.  The text includes a full-size, vivid photo on the left side, and a  comically illustrated version of the insect on the right. The text  explains that dragonflies are called “water angels” and are related to  the damselfly. As a bioindicator, it only seeks out fresh water.  Dragonflies found in folklore are briefly discussed. Readers are  encouraged to save water and help eliminate waste to provide more  freshwater sources for animals and insects. Additional facts and a  glossary round out this title. VERDICT This kid-friendly science  resource will fill a niche in the 595.7 section of your library.

Python Catchers, Saving the Everglades, by Marta Magellan

PYTHON CATCHERS: SAVING THE EVERGLADES.
April, 2020, Rowman and Littlefield/ Pineapple Press Imprint.

For 5-12-year-olds on the Burmese python invasion in the Everglades.

An easy-to-read, colorful, and entertaining natural history, Python Catchers is about the Burmese python invasion in the Florida Everglades. The book offers detailed information on the risks these giant constrictors pose to other animals. What young conservationists can do to prevent the introduction of invasive species as well as the issues concerning exotic pets are also included.

Read an interview about the writing of PYTHON CATCHERS at this blog.

Amazing Misunderstood Bats, new cover

AMAZING, MISUNDERSTOOD BATS

May, 2019, nonfiction for grades 5-9, with photographs by the renowned Merlin Tuttle, launched in July, 2019 at the Nature Detectives workshop in Ponte Vedra, Florida.

This extraordinary work of non-fiction captures the essence of what these small, but remarkable creatures can do. Amazing, Misunderstood Bats contains a plethora of interesting and original knowledge about bats.  It’s effectively convincing and a far cry from being dry and  encyclopedia-like. Graphic, vibrant pictures accentuate the text, and an  array of boxes filled with fun facts are included that help break up  the flow of the words throughout the book.  Elementary school science teachers may find this book a useful resource  for their classrooms, and it’s ideal for libraries in both public and  private elementary schools to shelve or display. The overall quality is  great, and the content is truly exceptional.

Reviewed by Jennifer Padgett, M.Ed.
Education Specialist (from San Francisco Book Review)

Read full review by clicking on the link below.

Amazing, Misunderstood Bats

San Francisco Book Review 
October, 2019
Star Rating: 5 / 5 stars

As an author of a  variety of pieces of non-fiction literature for children, Marta Magellan  sets out to debunk the historic myths and clear misconceptions about  the creatures we call bats. Despite their usefulness in cutting down the  world’s supply of pesky bugs and their extraordinary ability to  pollinate plants and help in the efforts of regrowing depleted forestry,  many perceive bats to be disease-striken, blood-sucking, eerie  creatures who hang out in dark and dreary places waiting to attack.  Magellan supplies an ample amount of unique and fascinating facts about  Chiropteras with hopes of changing the viewpoints of those most  skeptical. She informs her readers that bats are, in fact, the world’s  best pollinators over long distances and that some of these creatures  can eat as many as 1,000 bugs in an hour. The world would certainly be  more bug-infested without them. She also notes that one of the most  feared among bats, the vampire bat, may be of significant help in  treating blood clots, a potentially life-threatening condition that  occurs in humans. Their saliva is a hundred times more potent than the  current medications used to treat this ailment. It successfully destroys  the clot without adversely effecting anything else in the blood. While  some bats do carry diseases, foxes, dogs, and raccoons are more likely  to pass rabies on to humans than are bats. They become paralyzed when  infected with this devastating disease, thus rendering them much less a  risk to humans. Magellan concludes with urging her readers to help  protect the habitats of these incredible creatures, so they can continue  to be of great benefit to the human population.

This extraordinary work of non-fiction captures the essence of what these small, but remarkable creatures can do. Amazing, Misunderstood Bats contains a plethora of interesting and original knowledge about bats.  It’s effectively convincing and a far cry from being dry and  encyclopedia-like. Graphic, vibrant pictures accentuate the text, and an  array of boxes filled with fun facts are included that help break up  the flow of the words throughout the book. Additionally, a glossary and  index are provided to aid in clarifying unfamiliar vocabulary, as well  as to offer guidance in finding specific topics. The striking  photographs throughout will likely capture the attention of children as  young as five or six and as old as nine or ten. While the younger  audience may enjoy learning some of the fun facts; the older ones are  more likely to bask in the details and overall content of the text.  Elementary school science teachers may find this book a useful resource  for their classrooms, and it’s ideal for libraries in both public and  private elementary schools to shelve or display. The overall quality is  great, and the content is truly exceptional.

Reviewed by Jennifer Padgett, M.Ed.
Education Specialist

Anole Invasion, by Marta Magellan

ANOLE INVASION

May, 2018, on the non-native backyard lizards displacing the native Carolina anole for grades 5-9.

Anole Invasion is a wonderful story that will inspire young lizard lovers and science students who care about our fragile eco-system. I liked learning about how anoles keep our plants and gardens healthy and I loved the eye-catching art. 

Lori Dubbin
5.0 out of 5 stars Anoles help our environment!

Anole Invasion

Children’s Book Watch/ Pets,Wildlife/Midwest Book Review, August, 2019

Anole Invasion is a book about the green anole, a lizard whose territory is being invaded by another species of lizard called the Cuban brown anole…This fascinating story of the Carolina or green anole’s adaptation to invasive species of anole is educational and beautifully enhanced by expert color photographs of each anole species. The end of the book has two pages of excellent portraits of the crested anole, the Cuban anole, the green anole, and the knight anole, plus a full glossary of terms. Anole Invasion is an excellent resource for students of life sciences in grades 2 and up.

The Nutty Litle Vulture

THE NUTTY LITTLE VULTURE

January, 2018, fiction picture book for ages 3-5 based on facts of the different services vultures provide for our environment.

“Marta Magellan’s charming, intelligently written book THE NUTTY LITTLE  VULTURE, beautifully illustrated by Mauro Magellan, takes on the  symbiotic cycle of life …Great message! It’s a short book with a brilliant educational and social message, perfectly illustrated to attract and keep total attention and  fascination on message. I love this book for adults and kids of all ages.”

Excerpt of Amazon Review by Micaela Amateau Amato,  Illustrator  

The Nutty Little Vulture

Family Magazine,
Review: 9781632330802,  HC, 32pp, https://www.eifrigpublishing.com/products/the-nutty-little-vulture

January, 2018: Animals are Amazing:  Little Vulture’s mom offers to teach him how to get his own food. But he’s already off, finding it for himself …The importance of what vultures contribute by eating carrion is  emphasized by the repetitive comments in large easy to read text,  following each of Little Vulture’s food inspections. Expressive  illustrations draw readers into the story. The sister/brother author/illustrator team have combined their talents to share this  engaging, environmentally thoughtful picture book. Back matter includes  facts about vultures, a glossary, and references. 

Reviewed by Meribeth Shank


Midwest Book Review, August, 2019
Children’s Book Watch/ Pets, Wildlife Shelf

It is time for Little Vulture to start finding his own meals. But when he ventures out on his own, he discovers that none of the food the other vultures are sharing with him is tasty. On his journey, he discovers that not all vultures are carnivores which seems just a little bit nutty to him, too. A scrumptious book introducing the amazing world of vultures to kids, “The Nutty Little Vulture” is enhanced with the inclusion of a listing of Facts About Palm-Nut Vultures and a listing of Facts About Other Vultures. While especially and highly recommended for family, elementary school, and community library wildlife picture book collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that “The Nutty Little Vulture” is also available in a paperback edition (9781632330796, $9.99).


Excerpt of Review

by Micaela Amateau Amato, Illustrator  

Marta Magellan’s charming, intelligently written book THE NUTTY LITTLE  VULTURE, beautifully illustrated by Mauro Magellan, takes on the  symbiotic cycle of life that keeps the earth working by offering kids a  detailed understanding how Mother Nature feeds, cleans and replenishes  itself by practicing NO WASTE.

And the bottom line is,  all these vultures together work hard to keep  our planet clean—just as all other species do their jobs too. Everyone  gets fed and everyone has their specific purpose.

That’s what we all need to do. Great message! If the family of vultures  can do their work for Zero Waste, so can our family of humans. It’s a short book with a brilliant educational and social message,   perfectly illustrated to attract and keep total attention and  fascination on message. I love this book for adults and kids of all ages.

OTHER CHILDREN’S BOOKS

Monkey and Rabbit
The Singing Wolf
The Donkey and the Farmer

in Shared Reading series, Fountas and Pinnell, 2017, Heinemann.
Only available through their educational market

Those Colossal Cats 2009, Pineapple Press

Those Lively Lizards 2008, Pineapple Press

Those Voracious Vultures 2008, Pineapple Press

Marta signing Anoles Invasion book for child

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I’m happy to sign my books for your visitors

Happy READers

Don’t Just Take My Word For It

Writer's Digest Writing Competition 2020 Winner
Orange Blossom Review

SHORT STORIES

Read one of my stories for older readers:
The Chupacabra, Orange Blossom Review, A Journal of Creative Arts, Issue 6 | Summer 2021

Miami Herald

ARTICLES

Marta has also written fiction and travel articles on exotic places for magazines and newspapers.

“How to Write the Mixed Bilingual Picture Book” Children’s Book Insider Monthly. June 2022.

“The Chupacabra” Orange Blossom Review, Issue 6, Summer, 2021

“Jaguar Safari in the Wilds of Brazil” Travel Section The Miami Herald August 18, 2013, page J1

“Rio to Hialeah, Latin Lifestyle Sprung Anew” Miami Stories, Neighbors The Miami Herald September 23, 2012, page 10SE

“Danger in the Jungle” May, 2010, Appleseeds magazine

“Student Life at La Selva: Graduate and Undergraduate Studies in the Middle of a Rainforest” Spring, 2007, p. 26 Transitions Abroad’s Student Guide

“Neglected Lawn Makes Believer of Garden Skeptic” Neighbors, The Miami Herald November 24, 2002, page 12H

“Swimming with Piranhas & Gators” December 3, 1995 Travel section, The Miami Herald, 1-A

“The Blowfish” Oct. 29, 1995 Tropic Magazine Sunday magazine, The Miami Herald

“No Teen is Old Enough to be Left Alone for Long” May 8, 1994 Safe Parties, Safe Teens, The Miami Herald

“Getting the Picture” Nov. 28, 1993 Tropic Magazine Sunday magazine, The Miami Herald

“Somebody’s Husband” November, 1992 Linden Lane magazine

“The Big Bang” Dec. 20, 1992 Tropic Magazine Sunday magazine, The Miami Herald

“Bugged” April 14, 1991 Tropic magazine Sunday magazine, The Miami Herald

“Poor Richard” Sept. 4, 1984 Tropic magazine Sunday magazine, The Miami Herald

Book an Author Presentation

I’m happy to sign my books for your visitors