I discovered Journey Around Chicago A to Z a few years ago in our school library when my students were writing postcards to teach family and friends in other states about our great city. This book contains wonderful facts, trivia, history and the kids love to search for the hidden cardinal on each page. It's one of a series including other cities and places (New York, Boston, Cape Cod, San Francisco, Washington D.C., Philadelphia and Maine). Each book features its own feathered tour-guide. Recently, I decided to find out more about the author, Matha Day Zschock. As a former third grade teacher, she was inspired to write Journey Around Cape Cod and the Islands From A to Z when she couldn't find other books to enhance her students' field trip experiences. Her sister, graphic designer Heather Zschock, has co-authored a couple of the books in this series and she describes how it all began on her website.