ORO VALLEY, AZ – June 16, 2025 – Oro Valley author and poet Elaine A. Powers recently completed a book tour on Guam, where she visited twenty schools to share her book, Guam: Return of the Songs. The tour, which took place the week of April 7, was hosted by the Guam International Literacy Association for schools participating in their Read-a-thon.
Ms. Powers’ rhyming picture book tells the story of the environmental damage caused by the invasive brown treesnake and is uniquely written in both English and CHamoru, the endangered language of Guam. During her school visits, students gathered in classrooms, libraries, and cafeterias, and also joined via videoconferencing. The book was shared in both languages, with Powers reading the English text while alternating with CHamoru speakers, including teachers, students, and the book’s original translators. The tour also provided Powers with the opportunity to meet one of the book’s Guam-based illustrators.
The readings were followed by lively question-and-answer sessions, with discussions about how the invasive snakes are managed and their habits. Powers noted that a highlight of the tour was “seeing the students taking an active interest in their environment by their awareness of the treesnakes and creating stories, poems, and pictures about the native animals”. The book was originally requested by a former director of the US Department of Agriculture in Guam to inform the public about the wide-ranging losses caused by the invasive snake.
Locally, Powers is known for her rhyming picture books about the animals and plants of the Sonoran Desert and for her frequent work with local students. In 2024, she served as a Summer Writer-in-Residence with the Pima County Public Library, where she consulted with aspiring writers and led workshops.
Her book, Dinosaurs Roamed Arizona, has recently been honored with two awards for 2025: the Pima County Public Library Best Books of the Southwest award and the Judy Goddard Award for Children’s Literature.
About Elaine A. Powers
Elaine A. Powers is an Oro Valley-based author of over 25 science-based children’s stories and scripts. A retired biologist, she is an active citizen scientist involved in iguana conservation as a member of the IUCN’s Iguana Specialist Group. Her work is inspired by her love of music, rhythm, and the natural world. She is currently the President of the Tucson Poetry Society and has been a resident of Oro Valley for 15 years.