AUTHOR TALK: Alexander M. Rigby and Halsey Berryman (Nature)

About The Nature of Our National Parks:

Follow along as one young adventurer embarks on an epic road trip to discover the breathtaking beauty of every national park in the United States

Which park is home to the driest, lowest, and hottest landscape in America? Where can you find lots of mountain goats and more glaciers than anywhere else in the lower 48 states? And what would it be like to journey through all 63 national parks in one incredible adventure?

That's exactly what our young adventurer sets out to do—packing up an old camper van and hitting the road, traveling from Acadia to the Everglades, Death Valley to the North Cascades, Hawaii Volcanoes to Alaska’s Denali, and every other park in between. Inspired by a true story, The Nature of Our National Parks shares detailed insights into each park’s unique flora, fauna, and geographic formations alongside kid-friendly hikes and insider tips that make every destination exciting and accessible for families.

Celebrate the 250th anniversary of the United States’ founding with this beautifully illustrated and comprehensive book that inspires readers of all ages to explore, learn about, and connect with America’s national parks. With all kinds of trip recommendations for every park and hundreds of fun facts about the fascinating species found across our country, you’ll be motivated to immerse yourself in our wild, magical lands.

About the author: Alexander M. Rigby is the New York Times bestselling editor of seven nonfiction titles. He is an Executive Editor at DK, an imprint of Penguin Random House. An avid outdoorsman who enjoys hiking in the wilderness, Alexander has visited all 63 national parks in the United States and is the author of the children’s book , published by Tra Publishing in April 2026. His debut young adult novel, Meet Me at the Creek will be published by Knopf in spring 2027. He is the founder of the literary magazine Allegory Ridge. Alexander is the Director of the Allegheny Workshops and holds an MFA from Stonecoast at the University of Southern Maine. He is the Social Media Chair of the Penguin Random House LGBTQ+ Network, and is the curator of the network’s official Instagram channel @prhlgbtq. Alexander lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with his husband and their Portuguese water dog, Copper Atticus.

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About Pests & Other Friends:

Pests and so-called nuisance animals get a bad rap...
…but each and every one of them serves a purpose in their ecosystem. Learn how helpful, intelligent, and fascinating these creatures can be in this lushly illustrated exploration of North American wildlife.

Armadillos dig holes in backyards, but did you know that they also consume many troublesome species like fire ants, yellowjackets, and cockroaches? Or that prairie dog burrows provide other animals with much needed shelter? From the deserts of the Southwest to the city streets of the East Coast, Pests & Other Friends celebrates the unique ways in which these underappreciated animals benefit their individual environments.

Halsey Berryman’s beautifully detailed, whimsical artwork captures the distinctive traits of these regularly slandered critters, ensuring you’ll never look at pigeons, skunks, or alligators the same way again.

About the author: Halsey Berryman (she/her) is an illustrator and lettering artist from Washington, DC, who grew up between DC, Harvard, Massachusetts, and Taos, New Mexico. Halsey received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in 2014 from the Corcoran College of Art + Design, where she studied painting and drawing. Some of her clients include the Washington Post, AOC for Congress, Sleater-Kinney, Austin City Limits Music Festival, PBS, Bird Collective, and the National Day Laborer Organizing Network. Halsey’s work explores the interaction between the human and natural world, and what these often humorous exchanges and commonalities can teach us during the Anthropocene. Drawn to the most maligned creatures, Halsey’s work is often centered around the underdogs of the animal world, underscoring social and political parallels with animal behavior and cultural signifiers through visual satire. As a dedicated realist, she is inspired by vintage nature illustrations, but as a fan of color, her north star is risograph printing. Halsey lives in Takoma Park, Maryland with her wife, two dogs, three cats, and a collection of plants.

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