Lisl Detlefsen

media release: About the book: Grab your boots--it's time to explore life on a farm! In joyful verse, follow a diverse cast of farming families as they work and play in boots, all year long. Whether it's springtime puddle-splashing, riding at the summer fair, or herding sheep into the barn in winter, there's a type of boot for every kind of weather and activity.

Lisl H. Detlefsen is the author of a growing number of picture books. Her first, TIME FOR CRANBERRIES (Macmillan/Roaring Brook Press, illustrated by Jed Henry) was a Junior Library Guild selection, a 2016 Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People (K–2), and the 2017 Wisconsin Ag in the Classroom Book of the Year. 

IF YOU HAD A JETPACK (Penguin Random House/Knopf, illustrated by Linzie Hunter) was a Spring 2018 Kids’ Indie Next pick, an ALA LITA 2019 Excellence in Children’s and Young Adult Science Fiction Notable Picture Book and listed on the 2019 Edition of the Bank Street College Best Children’s Books of the Year. 

Other titles include RIGHT THIS VERY MINUTE (Feeding Minds Press, illustrated by Renée Kurilla), which was named the 2019 American Farm Bureau Foundation for Agriculture’s Book of the Year, and 1, 2, 3, JUMP!, a humorous book about swimming lessons (Macmillan/Roaring Brook Press, illustrated by Madeline Valentine).

Her most recent titles include CATKWONDO (Capstone, illustrated by Erin Hunting), in which Kitten persistently practices taekwondo, and ON THE GO AWESOME, a picture book for the vehicle-obsessed (Penguin Random House/Knopf, illustrated by Robert Neubecker) which is a Bank Street College Best Children’s Book of the Year choice for kids under five.

Lisl has more books on the way, including FARM BOOTS (March 2023, Feeding Minds Press, illustrated by Renée Kurilla), a lyrical celebration of work and play on a variety of farms throughout the four seasons, and AT THE END OF THE DAY (Spring 2024, Knopf, illustrated by Lynnor Bontigao), a free-verse story about how even in a day filled with frustration, there's always the promise of tomorrow. 

Lisl lives on a family-owned cranberry marsh near Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin with her husband, two sons, and two cats. When not in her office or on the marsh, you can find Lisl on the web at www.lislhdbooks.com, on Twitter and Instagram @lislhd, or on Facebook @lislhdbooks. She is represented by agent Jennifer Mattson of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency.