press
Public Speaking Experience
​
-
Panel participant (Chautauqua Literary Arts)
-
Nebraska State Literacy Association Conference
-
Educators Rising Local Conference (Virginia)
-
Speaker and workshop presenter (SCBWI)
-
Panel participant (SCBWI)
-
Literacy event speaker (various school systems & libraries)
-
School author visits
-
Co-keynote speaker with Kwame Alexander for Educators Rising National Conference, Waukee Community School District in Iowa, and San Bernadino PD Conference for Educators
Workshops and Webinars Taught
​
-
Plotting Your Picture Book
-
Writing on the Go
-
Perfecting the Picture Book II
-
Writing the Picture Book Series
-
Jumpstart Your Story’s Potential: Creating Sequels, Series, & Companion Books (w/ Sue Fliess)
-
Journal Writing Across the Curriculum
-
Science Across the Curriculum
-
How to Implement a Student Managed Classroom Library
-
Publishing in the Classroom
-
How to Incorporate Science into all Curriculum Areas
-
WSS-Write, Submit, Support 6 month course
-
Advanced Picture Book Workshop
praise
ARITHMECHICKS ADD UP Fuse 8, 2019 List of Math books for kids
ARITHMECHICKS TAKE A CALCULATION VACATION May 2022 Children’s Book Council Hot Off the Press reading list
ARITHMECHICKS TAKE AWAY "Bright, engaging illustrations... an elementary-school teacher, Stephens offers a lively story and a useful appended page with several different strategies for demonstrating subtraction. This cheerful sequel to Arithmechicks Add Up (2019) has its madcap moments, while creating opportunities for kids to use subtraction skills as they enjoy the playful story." — Booklist
ARITHMECHICKS TAKE AWAY "Arithmechicks discover that (as Stephens puts it) 'bedtime – chicks = later bedtime!' 10 diversely hued and patterned chicks respond to Mama’s 'Time to hit the hay!' with a wild scramble to hide... Stephens uses alliteration and internal rhymes to set up a cozy rhythm, and she brings the brouhaha to an end with a final henhouse snuggle. Feathery fun for the newly numerate. Take it away, Arithmechicks!" — Kirkus Reviews
​
ARITHMECHICKS ADD UP “Practical application mixes with play, adding up to enjoyable learning.” – Kirkus Reviews
CATastrophe! "Stephens deftly incorporates the concepts of patterns and pattern cores into her simple tale and includes an enjoyable explanatory page at the close as well as integrated seek-and-find challenges. Harney’s bright, energy-filled cartoons are a great match and maintain a fine balance of cute, color, comedy…and cats. Playfulness makes repeated reads a must for fans of cats or calculation." — Kirkus Reviews
CATASTROPHE! A great read-aloud and a strong pick for early math collections." — Booklist
ARITHMECHICKS ADD UP "Ten young chicks make their way to the park for a day of fun, incorporating math into every playground activity... Stephens deftly interprets the usefulness of being able to quickly count and add, and Liu’s texturized digital illustrations convey all the fun of the playground alongside simple mathematical concepts. An enjoyable resource for young ones stepping up their counting game." — Publishers Weekly
ARITHMECHICKS ADD UP "A fun math story that can be used at various levels." — School Library Journal
ARITHMECHICKS TAKE A CALCULATION VACATION "This book is an excellent opportunity to bring literacy into the math classroom...the pictures are fun and inviting and the words are fairly easy to understand. I could see this being used as a shared reading or read aloud experience, but I think that lots of children in the K-2 range would find this book accessible. It would also be a good fit in those classrooms because of the ties to basic numeracy concepts that are woven throughout this book." — NetGalley Reviewer
​
SCUBA DOG
“When readers meet Scuba Dog, he is just a pup who loves the water…One day, while out enjoying a swim, he meets a whale, and they soon become fast friends…This book explains that no matter the barrier, whether it's language, interests, or location, if kids put in the effort, they can make friends…. VERDICT: Readers will want to take a dive with Scuba Dog. A good choice for friendship collections.” — School Library Journal
CY MAKES A FRIEND "A tale of encouragement and gumption." — Kirkus Reviews
CY MAKES A FRIEND "This well-written, gentle tale with its colorful illustrations...will be a hit with shy kids...A sweet and funny look at dealing with social issues that will resonate with timid children." — School Library Journal
CY MAKES A FRIEND "Doubling as introduction to mythological creatures, the theme of this book is how to make friends. The text is easy to read...for early readers. The illustrations...are colorful and active...making the book a good one in a friendship or mythology unit. Recommended." — School Library Connection