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Melanie Biggs Uteg

@melanieuteg

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Author, Community Organizer & Naturalist
SCBWI - IL
Rep: @thepurcellagency
(she/her)
Sign up: monthly Kidlit book reviews: www.melanieuteg.com/blog

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It's a joy sharing my love of nature and insects with kids! If your school, library or nature preserve is looking for an author presentation, I have a menu of presentation options based on my 6 chapter books, Dung And Bo Go To School. I cover topics like #insects, #metamorphosis, #migration, #habitatprotection and more! Contact me or check out my website: melanieuteg.com by @melanieuteg

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4 days ago

Thank you @theinsectasylum for this beautiful cloche featuring a preserved dung and stag beetle, this scene is right out of my book series, Dung And Bo Go To School. What a thrill picking this up in Logan Square today! 🦋 by @melanieuteg

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a month ago

This was our first year tagging Monarchs for @monarch_watch - a good lesson on data collection! Local guides in El Rosario and Sierra Chincua are paid $5 for each tagged (often dead) Monarch they find in their overwintering site in Mexico. Someone recently found a tag from 1997….the year I graduated high school! 🦋 #monarchbutterfly #savethemonarchs by @melanieuteg

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a month ago

Last Friday I was honored to speak in support of Annie Andrews for U.S. Senate in South Carolina.

And yes, we were in Lake County, Illinois.

There really is no such thing as someone else’s election anymore. What happens in South Carolina affects what happens in Washington, and what happens in Washington comes right back home to all of us.

But I also talked about the part I care about most: the work we can do right here.

In our towns. On our school and county boards. In our courts. Protecting our water and open spaces. Taking care of our neighbors. Electing good people. And sometimes deciding to step up ourselves.

Annie is a pediatrician and a mom who saw things that needed to change and decided to do something about it. I really love that.

We spend a lot of time feeling like everything happening in this country is too big for any one of us to fix. Maybe so.

But our little corner of it isn’t.

So we start there. ♥️ by @melanieuteg

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2 months ago

Wow! 15! I counted up all of the nature/author events I’ve done since Dung And Bo was released 8 months ago- 15!! From Secret World Books to Wilmette and Niles Libraries to a school in Cambodia for World Read Aloud Day to the recent Lake County Nature Fest, where Grace happily led my craft on Illinois native bees. The best was after 3 hours at the Nature Fest, Grace said, “Well, that was a lot of fun!” I feel so lucky to have all of these meaningful opportunities. ❤️🦋
@illustrator.francescapesci wish you were here! Check out the books @abdobooks #chapterbooks by @melanieuteg

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2 months ago

Nature antics with the kids! This is our first year tagging our monarchs with @monarch_watch If you live in Lake County, follow Missy’s Monarchs on Facebook! And also follow @xercessociety for excellent insect info! by @melanieuteg

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2 months ago

That’s an author wrap on June! I had a blast reading Dung And Bo Go To Bee School at @nmdlibrary - thank you @jarrettdapier for the lovely invitation. I was also thrilled to read Dung And Bo Go To Dragonfly School at @lfopenlands camp and pond dip for dragonfly nymphs with the campers. Then, I wrapped up June tabling our Green Literacy booth at the @americanlibraryassociation conference in Chicago.
In July, I’m looking forward to my Storytime at @the_book_stall on 7/25 and my Bug Buddies Storytime on 7/24 @wilmettelibrary

My website: www.melanieuteg.com

This is truly a dream come true for me! ❤️🦋 #kidlit #savethemonarchs by @melanieuteg

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3 months ago

American Library Association Conference 2026! Did I forget to bring my books? Yes, I did! Am I blaming it on sleep deprivation from my puppy, Buzz? Yes, I am. What a wonderful whirlwind, meeting nature enthusiasts, climate defenders, wildlife writers and more at our Green Literacy table. And one of the first people I ran into was my mentor @esthersh15 So much fun with @ckabooks @margot92750 @jencullertonjohnson at #alaac26 by @melanieuteg

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4 months ago

Happy National Pollinator Week! https://www.melanieuteg.com/blog/happy-national-pollinator-week
Check out my blog for some of my favorites: Instagram accounts: @homegrownnationalpark @robinwallkimmerer @xercessociety @pollinatorpartnership @plantbabyplantmvmt and favorite kid books and activities!
#pollinatorfriendly #kidlit #savethebees #pollinatorweek2026 by @melanieuteg

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4 months ago

Happy World Bee Day! In honor of the pollinator holiday, I am sharing my book review of Dung and Bo today, rather than my usual Friday! My dear friend and critique partner Melanie Uteg poured her love of nature, insects and fun into this must have series. And Francesca Pesci brought these characters to life! Link in the bio for my review!

#kidsbookreviews
#KidLit #kidsbookstagram #2026 #kidsbooks #picturebook #worldbeeday by @melanieuteg

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5 months ago

Prepping for #worldbeeday by
1. Planting more native plants for wild bees.
2. Reading @melanieuteg & @illustrator.francescapesci chapter book, “Dung And Bo Go To Bee School”
3. Spreading the word! We need bees, especially wild ones, which are better pollinators than honeybees - there are 20,000 different species of bees & only 7 species are true honeybees! by @melanieuteg

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5 months ago

Happy Earth Day! Follow my blog for updates on local author events, nature activities and books for kids featuring the best of nature, STEAM and civics! Www.melanieuteg.com #earthday2026 #kidlit by @melanieuteg

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6 months ago