About Me

Quick Bio ~ Heather Ferranti Kinser writes at the intersection of story, poetry, and nature from her home on the San Francisco Peninsula. She’s a former technical editor who now spends her days writing small stories—to make a big difference for kids!

A Bit More Bio ~
    Heather started writing at age nine when she wandered to where the sidewalk ends, entered a state of literary amazement, and never fully recovered.
     She graduated from Santa Clara University with a bachelor's degree in English (and lots of notebooks filled with poems) and worked 15 years as a proofreader/copy editor for engineering firms. A love of rhythmic language and short writing forms eventually led her to writing picture books, and she's never looked back.
     Heather strives to create high-quality, high-interest, lively & lyrical books for children. Her first three titles offer young readers the language to describe and deepen their innate love of nature.
     Heather lives in the Bay Area with her family and several shelves full of picture books. She is the author of three published picture books—IN A CAVE, NATURE IS A SCULPTOR, and SMALL MATTERS—and is represented by Sarah Stephens of Red Fox Literary.

See the SMALL MATTERS book trailer!

Good News

NATURE IS A SCULPTOR has won a 2023 Blueberry Honor, which recognizes excellence in children's books on topics of nature and climate
NATURE IS A SCULPTOR was recognized on the Bank Street 2023 list of "Best Children's Books of the Year"
NATURE IS A SCULPTOR was nominated for the 2025 Towner Award by the Washington Library Association
NATURE IS A SCULPTOR was listed among Melissa Stewart's 2023 Sibert Smackdown recommendations (a mock Sibert award activity for classrooms), and made her 15 Favorite STEM Books of 2023 list, and was recognized in Betsy Bird's (aka Fuse 8's) "31 Days, 31 Lists," in two categories—"fabulous photography in kids books" and "rhyming picture books."
Recipient of the 2023 Northern Lights Book Award in the "nature" category—for NATURE IS A SCULPTOR
Recipient of 2021 Maryland Blue Crab Young Reader Award in the category "transitional nonfiction"—for SMALL MATTERS
SMALL MATTERS made Melissa Stewart's list My 10(ish) Favorite STEM books of 2020
My humorous spooky poem "Stage Fright" appeared in the October 2023 issue of Cricket magazine
My humorous historical poem "King Tut Tours His Tomb" was published in the February 2023 issue of Cricket magazine
My humorous poem "One Man Band" was published in the November 2023 issue of Orbit, from The School Magazine (Australia)
My humorous poem "My Bed's a Boat" was published in the February 2024 issue of Countdown, from The School Magazine (Australia)
My poem "Ode to a Shadow" was published in the August 2024 issue of Orbit, from The School Magazine (Australia)
My poem "Courtly Cat" was published in the September 2024 issue of Orbit, from The School Magazine (Australia)
Madness! Poetry Tournament "Authlete", six years running: Among 64 poets, I survived to compete in the "great eight" match-up in 2018, made it to the "sweet sixteen" in March 2019 and May 2023, and was in the finals in 2024, securing the 2nd place spot in the competition overall
2nd-place in Susanna Leonard Hill's 2025 Valentiny contest and 3rd-place in the 2017 Valentiny contest. 4th-place in the 2020 Halloweensie contest. 8th-place in the 2017 Holiday contest.
9th place finalist in the 2023 Kids' Choice KidLit Writing Contest, in the picture book category
Placed in the 2019 Golden Haiku Competition, Washington D.C.