
It’s been a busy week here at the ol’ homestead, with kids going on playdates before summer ends, my wife working two jobs, three birthday celebrations – and me trying to write in-between it all.
My wife and I also celebrated our 14th anniversary (the traditional Ivory Anniversary) by deciding – separately – to give each other a more humane gift. Proof that we are perfect for each other? We each gave the other a framed elephant print for our individual office spaces!



My wife gave me a signed, numbered print of two elephants facing each other and I gifted her with an raised-trunk print of an elephant, a sign of good fortune. But she did me one better – she gave me ivory that’s still attached to the rest of its owner: she adopted an elephant in my name through the World Wildlife Fund! How cool is that?
(Today is #WorldElephantDay, by the way, so I encourage you to find out more about it!)
A few years ago I wrote a haiku about the African Bush Elephant, the largest living land animal on Earth, but never shared it here. So today’s the day!
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African Bush Elephant
none dare attack; fierce
cheetah, lion, leopard watch
as you gorge on greens
– © 2019 Matt Forrest Esenwine, all rights reserved
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~ GIVEAWAY WINNER! ~
To celebrate my 10-year “blogiversary” last week, I offered to give away a signed copy of any of my five books – and out of allthe folks who commented or shared the post via Twitter, the one name drawn at random is…
Jany Campana!!
Thank you so much for sharing my 10th anniversary blogging post, Jany! Send me an email letting me know which book you’d like, who you’d like me to sign it to, and where to send it, and I’ll get it in the mail pronto. And thanks for the support!
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In other news, I’m extremely excited that the publication day for my next picture book, A Beginner’s Guide to Being Human (Beaming Books, 2022) is only months away!
The book, which comes out October 18, is my first-ever creative nonfiction book – so I’m eager for people to read it but also anxious about what they’ll think!
That’s where YOU can help…
If you’d like to be part of our Official Launch Team, just send me an email at Matt (at) MattForerst (dot) com and let me know! We’ll send you a link to read the digital ARC (Advance Review Copy) and will coordinate news and announcements with you to share.
It’s not a lot of work – sharing social media posts, leaving reviews, etc. – but it’s a significant way you can lend a hand in showing support for a book (or author??) you like.
And if you happen to be a blogger or Instagram influencer and would like to be part of our official blog tour, I can make sure you’ll receive a free copy of Beginner’s Guide to give away to one of your followers! Again, all you have to do is email me and I’ll take it from there.
Stay tuned for more details about the book and sneak-peeks at some of the interior spreads! I can’t wait to show you what illustrator André Ceolin – along with the editorial and marketing team responsible for my picture book Once Upon Another Time – has in store with this!
My friend Margaret Simon is celebrating her birthday (Aug. 11) by hosting Poetry Friday today at Reflections on the Teche with a couple of beautiful poems and two beautiful rainbow photos to accompany them. Be sure to stop by and say hi!

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Be sure to PRE-ORDER my upcoming new
creative nonfiction picture book,
A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO BEING HUMAN
(Beaming Books, Oct. 2022)!
Order a PERSONALLY-SIGNED copy of my latest picture book, I AM TODAY (POW! Kids Books),
or ANY of my books from my local independent bookstore!



















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I’m now a part of the BOOKROO family!

Create an account to add books to wishlists and be notified of special deals and dates…create custom collections…and discover and follow your favorite authors & illustrators!
Find out more about BOOKROO here!
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I continue adding to my “Wit & Wordplay” videos ! These videos were created for parents and educators (along with their kids) to learn how to write poetry, appreciate it, and have fun with it. From alliteration and iambs to free verse and spine poetry, I’m pretty sure there’s something in these videos you’ll find surprising! You can view them all on my YouTube channel, and if you have young kids looking for something to keep busy with, I also have several downloadable activity sheets at my website.
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Ordering personalized signed copies online? Oh, yes, you can!
You can purchase personally-signed copies of Flashlight Night, (Astra Young Readers, 2017), Don’t Ask a Dinosaur (Pow! Kids Books, 2018), and nearly EVERY book or anthology I’ve been part of!
Click here to view all my books and to order!
Just click the cover of whichever book you want and send a comment to the good folks at MainStreet BookEnds in Warner, NH requesting my signature and to whom I should make it out. (alternatively, you can log onto my website and do the same thing) They’ll contact me, I’ll stop by and sign it, and then they’ll ship it! (Plus, you’ll be supporting your local bookseller – and won’t that make you feel good?)
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Thank you to everyone for your support!
FLASHLIGHT NIGHT:
- NY Public Library’s “100 Best Book for Kids 2017” AND “Staff Pick!”
- KIRKUS Starred review!
- Kansas NEA Reading Circle Recommended Books!
- “Best Reads of 2017,” Unleashing Readers
- Finalist, 2019 New Hampshire Literary Awards
- Positive reviews from Horn Book, School Library Connection, School Library Connection, Booklist, Publisher’s Weekly, and Shelf-Awareness!
DON’T ASK A DINOSAUR:
- “Rollicking rhyme!” – Booklist
- “A wild romp!” – Parenting NH Magazine
- “Cute…intriguing…4 out of 5 stars” – Tulsa Book Review
- “Rhythmic…funny and informative” – Unleashing Readers
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