Books with author Hazel J. Hutchins

This is Hazel Hutchins at her wacky best. A perfectly naughty book that will be enjoyed by the whole family. Also useful for the classroom. Katie's little brother is loved dearly by everyone in the house, except that he annoys the family for his incessant babbling. He is just learning to talk and so he practices noises, all day long. Katie finds a magical way to deal with her brother's babbling, and they become the best of friends.

From the Days of Dirt is the brutally honest confession of a natural-born troublemaker, Marcus Hastings. This funny and edgy coming-of-age fictionalized memoir is filled with stories of youthful misadventures, mischief, angst, and love. Set in Maine in the 1990's, it reflects back to a simpler time before social media and smartphones. Marcus' cynical yet oddly refreshing perspective on what it means to feel alive finds humor in just about everything, whether that be setting himself on fire, falling in love, or being thrown in jail. Marcus’ true to life journal entries chronical his crooked, haphazard journey through adolescence. Many of his recollections are timeless and relatable. We all had that crazy friend or that weird neighbor, and if not, now you do.

Tess loves the prairie. But her parents do not; coming from an easier life, far, far away, they resent the bitter cold winter and the poverty that means burning cow dung for fuel. Tess and her brother Charlie go out to collect cow patties in secret, but the shame soon turns into pride as they rival each other in finding the best. When they are found out by their haughtiest neighbor, however, Tess feels that she has let her family down. But the neighbor, who scorned her family the previous years, sees Tess in a new light after a courageous event that saves his dog's life. Based on a true incident, Tess combines authenticity with drama. Set during the 1930s in the Canadian West, it is a remarkably subtle study of a family whose older members are immigrants but whose children are, in the truest sense, at home. The story also explores different kinds of pride, self-respect, courage, and survival.

Hazel Hutchins, the popular, award-winning author, has written a story about one man and one duck -- not a nature-conquering scenario, but a tale of human compassion and caring for the creatures with whom we share the earth. Hazel tells the story in a soft, rhythmic style, matched perfectly by Ruth Ohi's illustrations. A farmer and father of four sets out to plow his field at dawn in early spring. On the ground, hidden perfectly in a down-lined hollow, a young duck has built her next and is sitting on her warm eggs. She calmly observes the tractor, far away at first and then louder, closer, threatening her nest. Will she abandon her nest to save her own life? Will the farmer see her in time? This book models positive, caring behavior to preschool children: the idea that small actions taken at the right time can make a big difference. Respect shown to animals generates self-respect. As in every Hazel and Ruth cooperative project, the artwork perfectly reflects the feeling and mood of the tale.