Author & Illustrator Profile
Trinka Hakes Noble
20 Books
Trinka Hakes Noble is an author and illustrator of children's books known for her humorous and heartwarming storytelling. She is widely recognized for writing the Jimmy's Boa series, which has delighted young readers with its escalating, silly adventures and chaotic class trips. Her broader body of work includes cherished historical fiction and nostalgic seasonal tales like Apple Tree Christmas. She crafts imaginative stories that combine lively text with engaging themes of family, nature, and unexpected fun.
After a storm, a mermaid is carried far from the sea and into the life of a Dutch family.
The family puts the mysterious visitor to work, but young Hansy sees more than a strange helper. He understands that the mermaid belongs to the ocean, and he longs to help her return home. His choice sets a gentle story of sympathy, courage, and freedom in motion.
Hansy’s Mermaid is a magical picture book for readers who enjoy mermaids, seaside tales, and stories where a child recognizes what adults overlook. With its folktale feeling and clear emotional pull, it invites young readers to think about kindness, fairness, and what it means to help someone who cannot fully speak for herself.
6-8 Years
31 Pages
The king wants his tea exactly right, but one sip brings a royal disaster: the milk is sour.
Now someone must explain what happened. Servants, helpers, and everyone nearby would rather point somewhere else than take the blame. As the problem travels through the palace, young readers can follow a funny chain of excuses that turns one spoiled cup of tea into a lively lesson about responsibility.
The King’s Tea is a playful picture book for children who enjoy royal settings, simple humor, and stories where a small mishap grows bigger and bigger. With its clear conflict and comic blame-shifting, it invites readers to think about honesty without feeling like a lecture.
6-8 Years
32 Pages
A Civil War Tale
Gabe is only eleven, but on a Civil War battlefield, even a boy’s bugle call can carry life-or-death meaning.
At Gettysburg in 1863, Gabe serves as a Union Army bugler and tries to protect his older brother Davy, the last brother he has left. He knows the calls, understands his duty, and wants to be brave. Then he meets a young bugler from the Confederate side, and the sharp lines of war begin to feel painfully complicated.
The Last Brother is a tense, compassionate historical picture book about family, friendship, and moral courage in wartime. Readers who like American history will find a personal story set inside a major Civil War battle, told through the eyes of a boy forced to think about loyalty, loss, and humanity.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
48 Pages
A Thanksgiving Story
Rettie is only nine, but in her crowded New York City tenement, she carries grown-up worries every day.
It is 1918, and influenza is spreading across the country. With her mother ill and her family struggling, Rettie cleans, shops, cooks, and works small jobs to help keep everyone going. Thanksgiving is coming, and the Ragamuffin Parade could bring a chance for prize money, but quarantines and public health rules may stop the celebration before it begins.
Rettie and the Ragamuffin Parade is a moving historical picture book about resilience, poverty, family care, and hope during a frightening moment in American history. Young readers will meet a determined girl whose courage shines through hardship without losing the warmth of a Thanksgiving story.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
32 Pages
Jimmy’s mother thinks a goldfish will be a calm, sensible pet. Then Jimmy brings the goldfish and his boa constrictor to a birthday party at SeaLand.
A party with animals, water, and Jimmy’s boa cannot stay ordinary for long. Soon the celebration turns into splashing confusion, with the kind of cheerful chaos that makes this series so funny. Young readers get a fast-moving picture book full of silly surprises, animal trouble, and birthday mayhem.
Jimmy’s Boa and the Big Splash Birthday Bash is a lively choice for children who like humorous stories, pet disasters, and exaggerated picture-book action. The fun comes from watching a reasonable plan unravel in the most ridiculous way possible.
6-8 Years
32 Pages
Delly Porter can feel the soft dirt road under her bare feet, and most days she does not mind having no shoes.
Delly loves drawing, helping at school, and making beauty from whatever she has. But when a classmate’s cruelty makes her ashamed, the joy she once carried so easily begins to hurt. As the school prepares for a Shoebox Social to raise money for art supplies, Delly must hold on to her own worth in a world where some people judge by what money can buy.
The Orange Shoes is a tender historical-feeling picture book about poverty, dignity, creativity, and kindness. It speaks to readers who understand how powerful teasing can feel, while gently showing that value is not measured by possessions.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
40 Pages
Mist hangs over the Pine Barrens, and somewhere in the dark woods, something strange may be watching.
The Legend of the Jersey Devil retells the eerie local lore of a creature said to have haunted New Jersey since 1735. With the head of a horse, wings of a bat, and hooves of a goat, the Jersey Devil has frightened townspeople, troubled livestock, and fueled generations of stories. Is it real, or is it the power of a legend that keeps it alive?
Atmospheric and spooky without becoming too frightening, this picture book is a strong pick for readers who like monsters, regional folklore, and mysteries rooted in place. It brings a famous American legend to life for curious young readers.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
32 Pages
A garden party is supposed to be proper, polished, and calm. Jimmy’s boa has other ideas.
When Meggie’s mother arrives wearing what looks like a very unusual boa scarf, the gathering quickly stops being fancy and starts becoming funny. A live boa constrictor at a garden club meeting is all it takes for manners, plans, and decorations to tumble into comic confusion.
Jimmy’s Boa Bounces Back is a playful picture book for children who like big visual jokes, pet trouble, and stories where grown-up seriousness collapses into chaos. With its silly premise and energetic action, it gives young readers the fun of watching one unexpected animal turn an ordinary party upside down.
6-8 Years
32 Pages
Long ago, the land called Michigane is locked in winter, and the North Wind refuses to share the sky.
Nothing can grow while cold rules every season. Then an old warrior and a young boy set out across the frozen land, carrying little more than warm hearts and an old pair of mittens. Their journey brings them face-to-face with a force of nature that must learn to live with the gentler winds.
The Legend of Michigan is a sweeping picture book legend about courage, kindness, seasons, and the natural world. Young readers who enjoy origin stories and regional folklore will find a dramatic tale that turns weather into character and imagines how a frozen land could become a place full of life.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
48 Pages
The class trip to the farm starts out ordinary. Then Jimmy’s boa constrictor comes along.
Before long, the farm is full of slapstick confusion: animals are upset, lunches are in danger, and one unexpected pet is at the center of the commotion. The story unfolds with the funny feeling of a child explaining a disaster after it has already happened, making every detail more surprising than the last.
Trinka Hakes Noble’s comic storytelling and Steven Kellogg’s expressive illustrations turn a school field trip into a wonderfully chaotic picture book. It is a great match for readers who like snakes, farm animals, school stories, and laugh-out-loud chain reactions.
6-8 Years
30 Pages
Katrina’s favorite place is not a room at all. It is a branch in the old apple tree, where she can sit, draw, and dream.
On her family’s 1881 farm, the apple tree is part of everyday life and Christmas tradition. Then an ice storm brings it down just before the holiday, and Katrina feels as if her own small world has been split apart too. While her family looks for practical ways to use what remains, Katrina must face the loss of the place that made her feel most creative.
Apple Tree Christmas is a tender historical picture book about family love, disappointment, art, and the meaning of a thoughtful gift. Its quiet warmth makes it especially appealing for holiday reading.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
32 Pages
Miss Mary’s classroom is warm with color, cheer, and care, but recess tells her something important: her students’ hands are freezing.
She wants to knit mittens for every child as a Christmas surprise. There is just one problem: the store has run out of yarn, and the holiday is almost here. Miss Mary must look for another way to give her students the warmth they need.
Miss Mary’s Christmas Mittens is a bright, generous picture book about a teacher’s love, creative problem-solving, and the joy of giving from the heart. With a cozy school setting and a simple holiday challenge, it is well suited for young readers who enjoy Christmas stories filled with kindness, community, and handmade gifts.
6-8 Years
32 Pages
Basketball practice is already busy enough before Jimmy’s boa constrictor joins the game.
When Miss Peachtree’s dance lessons collide with gym class, Jimmy refuses to dance with anyone but his pet boa. Add a waltzing poodle, bouncing rabbits, and a group of determined kids, and the court becomes a place where dancing, basketball, and animal chaos all tangle together.
Jimmy’s Boa and the Bungee Jump Slam Dunk is a high-energy picture book for readers who like silly sports stories and wild pet trouble. It keeps the humor fast, visual, and wonderfully ridiculous, while also giving young readers a playful look at teamwork in the most unusual basketball practice imaginable.
6-8 Years
32 Pages
Gordy learns to box from his father, and their hero is Joe Louis, the great fighter from Detroit.
But the Great Depression has shaken the city, and Gordy’s father loses his job in the auto industry. When Gordy’s mother finds work with a Jewish tailor, Gordy meets Ira, a boy who also follows boxing. Their friendship grows as America watches Joe Louis prepare for his 1938 rematch against German boxer Max Schmeling, a fight many people see as larger than sport.
A Fist for Joe Louis and Me is a powerful historical picture book about friendship, prejudice, family hardship, and standing up for someone else. It gives young readers a personal doorway into Depression-era Detroit, boxing history, and a tense moment before World War II.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
40 Pages
Before sailors dared the deep ocean, the sea already belonged to mysterious creatures who watched from below.
In this original legend, mermaids live in the ocean’s depths, shy and gentle, beloved by the waters around them. When people begin sailing farther from shore, storms and shipwrecks bring danger, and the mermaids try to help. But not every life can be saved, and the story imagines sea glass as something precious born from sorrow and compassion.
The Legend of Sea Glass is a lyrical picture book for readers who enjoy mermaids, ocean lore, and beautiful explanations for natural treasures. It blends fantasy and feeling, giving beachcombers a new way to wonder about the colorful glass they find by the waves.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
32 Pages
On a cold Christmas Eve, one small tree carries more than branches into a poor family’s home.
A hardworking mother has little to give her children for the holiday, but she brings home a Christmas tree as a simple gift of love. Hidden among its branches is another mother: a spider caring for her own tiny family. During the night, the spider’s careful work transforms the tree in a way no one expects.
Based on an old Ukrainian story, A Christmas Spider’s Miracle is a warm, gentle picture book about kindness, hope, and the quiet magic of giving. Young readers who enjoy holiday folktales will find a tender story where two very different mothers are joined by love for their children.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
32 Pages
In Philadelphia in 1777, Maddy Rose learns that war can reach even the games children play.
Her father has died at the Battle of Princeton, her brother is away with Washington’s army, and spies move through the city as the fight for American independence grows more dangerous. Maddy helps at home, but small signals and secret actions begin to pull her toward a role far bigger than she expected.
The Scarlet Stockings Spy is a suspenseful historical picture book about courage, family, sacrifice, and patriotism during the American Revolution. It offers young readers a personal look at wartime Philadelphia and shows how a child’s bravery can matter when a country’s future is uncertain.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
48 Pages
Tiny stones ride a long river journey before they ever sparkle on the sands of Cape May.
In this richly illustrated legend, you follow the story behind the quartz pebbles known as Cape May Diamonds. Carried from mountain rock through the Delaware River and polished by water, time, and sand, these bright treasures become part of a tale linking nature, history, and the Lenape people of the region.
Gentle, thoughtful, and rooted in New Jersey’s coastal landscape, The Legend of the Cape May Diamond invites young readers to see an ordinary beach find in a new way. It is a picture book for children who enjoy legends, natural wonders, and stories that connect a place to the people who have loved it.
6-8 Years
9-12 Years
40 Pages
Rancher Hicks wants excitement, so he rides eighty-four miles to Sleepy Gulch. The real excitement stays home.
While Hicks looks for something interesting in town, his wife Elna is back at the ranch, where the impossible seems to happen one event after another. Oil, fortune, famous visitors, and outrageous surprises turn the quiet ranch into the wildest place around, all while Hicks misses the action completely.
Meanwhile Back at the Ranch is a laugh-out-loud picture book built on comic contrast and tall-tale exaggeration. Young readers who enjoy silly western settings, repeated jokes, and larger-than-life surprises will have fun watching the boring place become anything but boring.
6-8 Years
32 Pages
Lizzie loves school so much that a whole year still does not feel long enough.
First grade brings reading awards, nature study, a bee and butterfly garden, and the kind of classroom days Lizzie wants to keep forever. Then the last day of school arrives, and Lizzie cannot understand how the year can already be over. Saying goodbye to a wonderful class feels much harder than she expected.
Lizzie and the Last Day of School is a cheerful, reassuring picture book about loving school, handling change, and discovering that endings can lead to new beginnings. It is a natural fit for young readers finishing a grade, starting a new classroom, or learning how to manage mixed feelings about growing up.
6-8 Years
32 Pages
