Abbie James
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abbiewjames.bsky.social
Abbie James
@abbiewjames.bsky.social
2.3K followers 2.1K following 1.7K posts
#Kidlit Writer: PB, MG, YA. #SCBWI. Poetry.
Youth Services at a Public Library. Licensed Behavior Specialist.
Wife & Mom. Gardener/Hiker/Birder. Environmentalist. She/her

abbiewernerjames.com
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abbiewjames.bsky.social
baby amaranth
pink valentine balloons
hearts soar toward spring
#HaikuSaturday 💚💗 #gardening
eight pink love-lies-bleeding variety amaranth sprouts with white stems that are about an inch tall in a green pot; lettuce and rainbow chard grow in the background; sun shines from the right
February 14, 2026 at 2:53 AM
abbiewjames.bsky.social
GLITTER EVERYWHERE by Chris Barton is a fun #PB about the history of glitter. I 💚 that it includes environmental concerns/new alternatives! Gorgeous art by Chaaya Prabhat. #kidlit 📚👍 Sad that a school canceled this author's visit due to facts in the book that weren't even part of the presentation. 😔
cover of GLITTER EVERYWHERE shows the title written in white across a scattering of mostly blue glitter with hints of other colors and a purple background; illustrations of a motorcycle, a shoe, hands holding glitter, a mask, a cupcake, and a beetle surround the title
February 13, 2026 at 1:41 PM
abbiewjames.bsky.social
Revisiting one of my favorites for #ThickTrunkThursday.
So lovely to meet this white oak last May. 💚
#ForestFriday
photo of forest in late spring with lots of green and large tree in the center; I stand to the right with arms around tree trunk; trunk is probably 15-20 feet in circumference at base
February 12, 2026 at 3:39 PM
abbiewjames.bsky.social
My poor orange tree grew one lovely orange as it lost all of its leaves and died. I used every bit of that piece of fruit! I assumed my worm tea would be enough, but I should have invested in citrus fertilizer.
orange tree in green pot by sunny window with one orange and only a few leaves
February 8, 2026 at 12:54 PM
abbiewjames.bsky.social
icicle
ambitious audition
for role of porch post

Happy #HaikuSaturday 💚
(Gotta fix that dripping gutter 🙃...)
icicle beside railing supports, stretching several feet tall from porch steps to the railing, about an inch in diameter at the bottom and a couple of inches at the top; photo taken from porch looking out into yard covered in snow; trees and blue sky in the distance
February 7, 2026 at 2:49 AM
abbiewjames.bsky.social
open casket
standing room only
adored by all

#haiku 💚 #thicktrunkthursday
#fungifriday 💚 #forestfriday 💚 #ferns
photo taken in summer; gray/white tree stump with many tiny orange mushrooms on the top; a few Virginia creeper vines in front; ferns to the sides; other plants and trees in the background
February 6, 2026 at 1:37 PM
abbiewjames.bsky.social
Colby Cedar Smith's YA novel in verse CALL ME ATHENA is beautiful--and a fascinating look at 1930s Detroit. Now eager to read her next work, THE SIREN AND THE STAR. Gorgeous cover art by Hülya Özdemir. #kidlit 📚👍
cover of CALL ME ATHENA shows a teen girl wearing a white dress with tree branches and pink circular blossoms; her skin is light-colored with dark rosy cheeks; her hair is dark and curly up above her head; the background of the cover is blue with tiny white circles; there is a blue bird above her shoulder; photo taken of book on light-colored upholstery
February 4, 2026 at 6:16 PM
abbiewjames.bsky.social
if sunshine
from my garden photos
could warm me up
#stunday 💚 #nativeplants 💚 #bloomscrolling
photo taken looking up at dark orange sunflower with big leaves on either side; sun is shining from behind the flower showing the veins in the leaves; sky is clear blue
February 1, 2026 at 9:01 PM
abbiewjames.bsky.social
while sky takes a break
branches hold cumulus clouds
solidarity

#HaikuSaturday 💙
fluffy piles of snow on blueberry bush branches; other trees in background; blue sky above
January 31, 2026 at 3:10 PM
abbiewjames.bsky.social
wings to carry
into the universe
sage tree souls

#fungifriday 💚 #haiku
brown turkey tail mushrooms on a decaying log with some snow on top and to the sides
January 30, 2026 at 2:36 PM
abbiewjames.bsky.social
One of my sentimental kids asked me to read this to them. "Because we always read it when it's going to snow." This kid is a teenager taller than me. That's how fabulous this #PB is. So of course I did and always will!
BIG SNOW by Jonathan Bean. #nostalgia 💙 #kidlit 📚👍
cover of BIG SNOW shows a young boy standing on brown grass looking up towards a few snowflakes falling from the top of the book; there is gray-blue sky behind and above him; he has a red sled behind him; title and author in white at the top of the cover; photo of book taken with book standing up on table with snowflake lights and white decorative trees on either side
January 29, 2026 at 3:19 PM
abbiewjames.bsky.social
spicy cayenne heat
upside down flame casts shadows
sparks on white sparkles
smoky trails on blank pages
fire winter can't put out

#tankathursday prompt: page
#strength #gardening #poetry
photo taken looking down at a dead pepper plant in several inches of snow; one cayenne pepper is still red and hangs to the left on the plant; shriveled leaves and brown peppers dangle to the right; the sun is shining from the top of the photo with shadows from the plant in the snow on the bottom
January 29, 2026 at 2:31 AM
abbiewjames.bsky.social
a place to hide
momentary refuge
photos from summer

#ThickTrunkTuesday 💚 #haiku
photo of a tree trunk that nature hollowed from about eight inches off the ground continuing upward, the opening is about eight inches wide at the base and gets wider as it continues up; there is moss on the right side of the trunk; other trees in the background; sticks and pine needles on the ground
January 27, 2026 at 1:40 PM
abbiewjames.bsky.social
Two of my favorite YA reads from the past year: HOLLOW FIRES by Samira Ahmed was published in 2022, but I have to include it! DEATH IN THE JUNGLE is nonfiction from 2025 by Candace Fleming that is unputdownable
cover art by Dana Ledl; cover of HOLLOW FIRES shows a girl wearing a black beanie hat looking over her shoulder; on her back, there is a scene with a boy in a winter forest walking forward; the spine is covered in orange and red flames; the title is written in red and orange; the background of the cover is white with mostly black and shades of gray in the illustration; the picture is taken with the book in my hand in front of a white wall cover of DEATH IN THE JUNGLE: MURDER, BETRAYAL, AND THE LOST DREAM OF JONESTOWN shows a man's face wearing sunglasses all in shades of green; photo of book taken on white wooden table
January 26, 2026 at 2:30 PM
abbiewjames.bsky.social
Yay for money to spend on books! These are four of my favorite #MGLit reads published in 2025: THE BURNING SEASON by Caroline Starr Rose, THE UNEXPECTED LIVES OF ORDINARY GIRLS by J. Anderson Coats, SCATTERGOOD by H.M. Bouwman, and of course THE TROUBLE WITH HEROES by Kate Messner. Art in Alt.
Cover of THE BURNING SEASON shows a girl running out of a door at the top of a lookout tower onto the deck part surrounding the tower; the title is written in white smokey font across the middle; the background of the cover shows a green forest area, an orange forest area, and a burning snag to the right; cover art by David Dean; photo is taken looking up at the sky with the book in my hand with blue sky and autumn trees in the background THE UNEXPECTED LIVES OR ORDINARY GIRLS cover shows a young girl looking up towards city gates with people and horse buggies; background is blue; pink and orange flowers decorate the lower right corner; Cover art by Margarita Kukhtina; photo taken with book in my hand in front of blue and white rug Cover of SCATTERGOOD shows a girl facing a large old building with a few lights on; background is orange; in the sky a checkerboard pattern in the upper left becomes flying birds towards the right; cover art by Angie Kang; photo taken with book in my hand in front of light blue wall cover of THE TROUBLE WITH HEROES shows a boy with a backpack and hiking boots standing beside a dog on a rock at the top of a mountain; there are blue and green mountains and a lake/river in the background and blue sky with a few white clouds; the book is in my hand with blue sky on the top half and green trees on the bottom half of the background; book written by Kate Messner; cover illustrated by Yuta Onoda and designed by Jeanette Levy
January 26, 2026 at 2:13 PM
abbiewjames.bsky.social
When the news is infuriating, I like to think about kids reading books about community and empathy, like MAGNOLIA WU UNFOLDS IT ALL by Chanel Miller. Caught up on this fabulous 2025 Newbery Honor book just in time to watch the 2026 #ALAyma on Monday. Excited for that. 💛 #MGLit #kidlit 📚👍
cover of MAGNOLIA WU UNFOLDS IT ALL shows two girls crossing the street with a white dog; there's a six-story brick building in the back right, a street sign, vehicles, and person to the left, and blue sky with clouds above; book is in my hand in front of a light blue wall
January 25, 2026 at 3:06 AM
abbiewjames.bsky.social
remarkable moss
no need to rush to the store
ready for a nap

#HaikuSaturday 💙 #winterweather 💙 #dormancy
Be safe, everyone. ❄️
photo looking down at green moss with a few bits of brown leaves and sticks scattered
January 24, 2026 at 12:46 PM
abbiewjames.bsky.social
I feel so bad for authors when the cover art is only meh and they don't have any control over it. That's tough. *These are the Corelle plates I grew up with. The pattern didn't bother me, but I hated when they broke into a million shards. 😅
white plate with navy blue flowers around the edge with 8 kinds of cookies; blue and white snowman tablecloth in background
January 23, 2026 at 7:37 PM
abbiewjames.bsky.social
from leafless trees
birds take flight into dawn skies
mushroom cap landscape

#FungiFriday #haiku
Do you see it? 😊
brown mushroom with a smaller brown mushroom to the left; brown leaves and dead grass around it; a small branch to the right; on the mushroom in the center, dark brown lines that look like tree silhouettes in the winter line the edge of the cap, and smaller dark brown lines in various angular shapes cover the cap
January 23, 2026 at 1:43 PM
abbiewjames.bsky.social
HOW TO SAY GOODBYE IN CUBAN by @danielmiyares.bsky.social is an outstanding #MGLit graphic novel. I wish I could buy copies for every classroom and young readers' book club. 📚👍 #kidlit #empathy
book cover shows silhouette of a boy in a boat with the title written in white on the silhouette; background is blue, green, and purple water with a white wave-path from the boat leading away from an island in the distance; the sky is yellow and blue with a crescent moon, stars, and dark clouds on the sides; book is in my hand in front of a light blue wall
January 18, 2026 at 3:50 PM
abbiewjames.bsky.social
when winter seeks
wildflowers hide in the sky
bouquets twice a day

#HaikuSaturday 💙
landscape; sunset sky with orange, pink, purple, blue; field in the foreground stretching to the horizon; in the distance a barn roof and tree silhouettes to the right
January 17, 2026 at 2:57 PM
abbiewjames.bsky.social
On this #FungiFriday, a soft place to rest in the sun
dried brown maple leaf on top of a shallow concave light brown mushroom with another mushroom to the left; tree stump behind and green leaves in front, with a single purple violet
January 16, 2026 at 12:13 PM
abbiewjames.bsky.social
brumation below
frozen shadows stretched above
my winter brain

#HaikuSaturday 💚 #pond 💚 #nature
pond covered in thin layer of snow with dried brown plants and a little green grass around the edges sticking up through the light snow; trees and blue sky in the background; a tree's shadow (trunk and branches) stretches lengthwise across the pond
January 10, 2026 at 12:03 PM
abbiewjames.bsky.social
somber setting
each one small but substantial
marching together

#fungifriday 💙 #haiku
a section of tree trunk in the shade that is grayer than the rest of the trunk and covered in vertical lines of thin, light brown mushrooms; sun shines in the background with a few other tree trunks visible in the distance
January 9, 2026 at 12:37 PM
abbiewjames.bsky.social
new year's sparrows chirp
cheers beneath goldenrod plumes
fireworks that feed them

Happy #HaikuSaturday! 💚 #nativeplants
photo of one stalk of goldenrod in winter taken from below with pale blue sky in the background; about eight branches curve out from the main stem; some branches have fluffy white seeds and some areas have tiny star-shaped spikes where the seeds have fallen
January 3, 2026 at 2:31 PM