Hi There!
My name is Jessie and I write and illustrate books about nature for kids. I am a mom to 2 nature loving kids myself. Our family has two cats, 14 chickens, 1 pond, and 3 gardens (maybe 4?) all in a small yard just outside of a big city. I like to write books with lots of facts about nature that you might not already know. (These are called nonfiction.) I also like to throw parties for trees and have tea with frogs. (Who doesn’t really?) In fact, we make a compost birthday cake for the Earth every year on Earth day!
When I was a kid I spent all my time in the woods. I built forts, fairy houses, and collected treasures. (I still kind of do.) I made my kids a rock table to keep all of the rocks they collect, and we have a whole other table outside for nature finds. We live in a pretty urban area, but we spend a lot of time in local parks and forests. My kids love to build forts, fairy houses and collect nature treasures too! They also love to make “food” out of mud and plants. Sometimes I help. I also loved to read. I even won a reading prize in the 4th grade! (Thanks Mrs. Miller!) I still love to read and visit the library, I learn so many things from books!
Before I wrote books for kids, I had a bunch of different jobs. I was an artist and traveled around making environmental artwork all over the world. I also taught 
kids how to make art! Then I was in charge of a farm where kids from the city came to learn about the environment and how to grow food. Next, I started my own school where kids spend lots of time outside and learn about nature at the same time they learn about math and ela. I believe that all kids deserve nature no matter where they live! Now I help other teachers and librarians learn ways to bring more nature into their classrooms.
I have always been an artist. I love crafting and making things. Pretty much everything. If you can make it I probably have. I am always fiddling with something or drawing or using my hands in some way. (And I don’t tell kids not to draw during class because I like to do the same thing!) I don’t think it will surprise you to hear that I especially love nature crafts and things made from natural materials! I always make craft projects to go along with my stories.
Now I spend most of my time drawing, writing books, reading, and hiking with my husband and kids! (And sometimes building nature forts…)
Press Kit
Please check out my Press Kit for standard bio text, head shots, book covers, and media contact information.
You can also see a full archive of all my interviews, blog posts, podcasts and more.
Do you love nature, crafts, recipes, and celebrations? Celebrate the Wheel of the Year at my sister site Wineberry Woods.
The Cozy Cauldron is where I review romantasy books and develop recipes to go along with them. These are for adults only!
Short Bio
Jessie Lehson founded her first nature club when she was seven. Since then, she has lobbied congress on environmental issues, been nationally and internationally recognized for her environmental artwork, and connected thousands of children to natural spaces. Now she writes and illustrates books about nature for kids! A compulsive gardener and naturalist, she never tires of drawing plants & bugs. With a folky style and emphasis on the handmade, she delights in all things wonky and natural. Lehson is also the founder of a public nature school, curriculum writer, and designer of endless ways to engage kids in nature.
Long Bio
Jessie Lehson founded her first nature club when she was seven. Since then, she has lobbied congress on environmental issues, been nationally and internationally recognized for her environmental artwork, and connected thousands of children to natural spaces. Now she makes books about nature for kids! Lehson writes and illustrates picture books, middle grade nonfiction, and cookbooks. She is currently prepublished with a debut coming out in 2027. Lehson is a former professor at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), from which she holds an MFA degree. She was a fine artist before transitioning to illustration. A compulsive maker and naturalist, she never tires of drawing plants & bugs. With a folky style and emphasis on the handmade, she delights in all things wonky and natural. Lehson is the founder and former director of one of the only urban public nature schools in the U.S.—Watershed Public Charter School—and is the author of Watershed’s standards-based, nature integrated curriculum. She is also the former director of Friends of Great Kids Farm, a working farm and environmental education site owned by Baltimore City Schools. The Children and Nature Network recently named her a “2024 Inspiring Leader in the Children and Nature Movement.” In her work as a creator Jessie started Wineberry Woods, a resource-rich website where she supports families and educators in celebrating nature and the Wheel of the Year, reaching hundreds of thousands of families and teachers with her articles, projects and educational content. She is an avid chicken keeper, urban homesteader, master gardener and permaculture designer. She is mom to two adventurous little boys who love nature.
Fun Facts about Jessie
As a nonfiction author I love a fun fact list, so here is one about me:
- I helped to get the law changed in my county so that more people can own chickens!
- I am an aerial yoga teacher which means I hang upside down from fabric.
- I have a pitcher plant named “Chompers” that I like to think of as my sidekick and henchman.
- I am obsessed with plants. They are like pokemon, I’ve gotta collect them all.
- I still have a rock collection.
- I was a semi-professional baker, then found out that I have celiac, and I re-learned to bake without gluten.
- Cherokee purple is my favorite type of tomato.
- I learned the names of most trees in my area from an elementary school project and I can still rattle off the names of nearly every tree I find.
- Science and art were my favorite subjects in school.
- I have had a white streak in my hair since I was a kid.
