By Larisa Michelle Tate

Special to the Pflag

Some natural phenomena defy scientific explanation, such as the capabilities of legend-inspiring hummingbirds, say authors Jeanette Larson and Adrienne Yorinks in their recently released children’s book “Hummingbirds: Facts and Folklore from the Americas” (Charlesbridge Publishing, 2011).

Pflugerville librarian, professor and library science writer Larson said that after nearly five years of work on the Montessori-styled book – which interweaves folklore and biology with quilted artwork by Yorinks – she can’t believe it’s really done.

“In some ways it’s like I worked 30 years to get to where I am,” Larson said. “Part of the reason I knew a publisher was all my work in the libraries. Part of the reason I knew a great illustrator was because my work with them.”

With only about 15,000 children’s books being published each year and millions of submissions, the odds of a relatively unknown writer getting published are “akin to winning the lottery,” she said.

It’s also unusual for a publisher to accept both artist and author together because it represents too much of an economic risk. Generally when a publisher accepts a manuscript they will assign an artist to the project.

However, Larson has published several books for librarians with Charlesbridge, so she was able to bypass the usual delays associated with finding a publisher.

Her latest book, “Building a Culture of Literacy in your Community through Dia,” was released last week in English and Spanish, with the Association for Library Services to children.

After Larson contributed to Yorinks’ book “Quilt of States: Piecing Together America” (National Geographic, 2005) they wanted to do their own project.

“It’s kind of a cliché that every children’s librarian wants to be an author, so I kind of resisted that for a while. But you have to write about something you are passionate about,” Larson said.

Yorinks’ unique style of quilting together photographic printed fabric images and piecework creates whimsical yet realistic images, placed on colorful textured backgrounds or as stand-alone images.

Larson did most of the research at the University of Texas library, looking at Native American, Mayan and Aztec legends and folklore to enhance factual information about the birds, which live only in the Americas.

Their habitats and migration patterns span both continents, concentrating in equatorial regions.

The book’s reception has been positive, with good reviews, sales and personal responses, she said, and it sold out during book signings at Barnes & Noble and Book People in Austin. She’s not sure about actual sales yet.

Fans have been children, adults and bird enthusiasts.

“I’ve always, as a professor of children’s literature and an advocate for children reading, said that a good book for kids has to first be a good book,” Larson said, “so often people write books because they want to give the kids a message. . . but if it’s not a book that an adult can read several times and enjoy it, why would a kid like it?”

“Hummingbirds” is available in paperback for $8.95 and hardback for $16.95, at Barnes & Noble, Book People and on Amazon.com.

Larson obtained an undergraduate degree in anthropology from the University of New Mexico and her masters in library science at the University of Southern California, she said.

She moved to Austin for a position at the Texas State Library (not to be confused with the Texas State University library in San Marcos), and now teaches at the Texas Woman’s University School of Library Information Studies.

Yorinks lives in Short Hills, New Jersey and has illustrated and written children’s books including “The Alphabet Atlas” (1999), “Stand for Children” (1998) and “Quack!” (2004).