About
I am an author of more than eighty-five books for children including the popular picture books Beaks!, A Platypus Probably, and Waiting for a Warbler along with older award-winning science books such as The Prairie Builders and Fire Birds: Valuing Natural Wildfires and Burned Forests. My humorous memoir Warblers & Woodpeckers: A Father-Son Big Year of Birding was released by Mountaineers in 2018, and I am a contributor to magazines such as BirdWatching and Big Sky Journal. In addition to my writing, I am a popular speaker, having visited more than 600 schools in the U.S. and abroad, and speaking at more than 100 professional conferences. I may be reached at sbcollardiii@gmail.com.
Featured Work
Waiting for a Warbler
"Mr. Collard, a prolific writer whose books often have a scientific bent, is also an avid birder. He and his son have a blog, Father Son Birding, and the book Warblers and Woodpeckers is based on their adventures. In this book, illustrated in soft, nature tinted watercolors, we meet Owen and Nora, who are looking forward to seeing a cerulean warbler in their yard in the spring. They have made their yard an inviting place for the birds to visit, planting native trees and plants so that the birds will have enough insects to eat and places to stay. We also see the migration of the birds from the tropical forests to the US. When a storm threatens the Gulf of Mexico, the children worry that this might cause harm to many of the birds during their travels. Luckily, the cerulean warbler and other birds make it through, and Owen and Nora are able to observe them and take notes in their nature journals. End notes include information on birding, ways to help protect birds, and resource lists that include books and websites.
Like his other excellent titles, Hopping Ahead of Climate Change: Snowshoe Hares, Science and Survival, Insects: The Most Fun Bug Book Ever, and Fire Birds, Mr. Collard uses his talents to combine fiction with lots of information about environmental issues. This picture book is for younger readers than most of his books, but still presents information in a way that is easy to grasp. I'm a big proponent of teaching children about nature from a very young age; I have a bee garden in my library and have worked with the local parks department to donate native trees to the park behind my house. It's good to see a picture book that espouses environmental responsibility in such an engaging way. "
― Ms. Yingling, MMGM