Written by The Tufted Puffins of Triangle Island author Deborah Hodge

Karen Reczuch and I have had a wonderful decade of whirlwind adventures travelling to spectacular nature places to research our six books together, celebrating the flora and fauna of the beautiful Pacific west coast. (See our West Coast Wild series, with Karen’s gorgeous art!) We’ve travelled in spring, summer, fall — every season but winter — and enjoyed every minute of it.

Most authors and illustrators don’t get to work alongside each other (and often never meet). The editor acts as a go-between, passing manuscripts and art between the creators. But our collaboration began in a different way, thanks to the understanding and vision of our late and lovely editor/publisher, Sheila Barry.

With Sheila’s encouragement, Karen and I met for the first time when we set off for a week’s exploration of the wild west coast of Vancouver Island. It was a leap of faith to travel together having never met, but it turned out so well that it has made it possible for us to happily collaborate on many more books together.

On our trips, Karen and I have hiked in rainforests and wandered beaches along the wild coastline, snapping photos and soaking in the natural wonder of these places. We both love being outdoors, and we spend our time carefully observing and learning about the rich diversity of plants and animals living in each special spot we visit.

Now we are thrilled to be introducing our seventh book: The Tufted Puffins of Triangle Island. It’s the first book in the Wild by Nature series, an ecology series for young readers that explores environmentally sensitive species and habitats, and encourages their care and conservation.

Learning about the life and habits of tufted puffins was amazing! They are charming, eye-catching birds that fly from far at sea to Triangle Island every spring to lay their eggs and raise their babies. The island is closed to the public as an Ecological Reserve, so we were unable to visit in person. But we definitely travelled there in our hearts and minds to see these iconic birds with the bright orange beaks and golden tufts.

Our second book in the series features burrowing owls, an endangered species that nests in grasslands. Although the book won’t be available until 2026, Karen and I have finished our work on it. To our delight, we were able to travel to a dry, dusty desert area in the south Okanagan to visit a burrowing owl recovery centre and see these little birds in person. They are astonishing creatures — and the only owls in the world to live underground.

We have another book in mind and are hoping to travel to the prairies in the fall to see another fascinating endangered species on their migration route. We are excited! And we are inspired to learn more about the extensive conservation efforts that are taking place for the creatures we have come to know and love.

More books and more research trips are planned, and we are grateful to have the opportunity to immerse ourselves in the wild nature of many extraordinary places.