Michael J. Larson

Michael J. Larson was born July 5, 1944. He lived on the family farm near the town of Clinton, MN. His work ethic was established as he milked cows by hand, stacked hay bales, picked rock and carried pails of water and grain to a variety of livestock. Also his love for nature blossomed during those years as he explored the swamps and sloughs found on the family farm.

Larson first recognized his desire to write when he was an eighth grader. That winter in the evenings after the chores were done he wrote his first manuscript titled "Slinker A Mink". It was rejected by the magazine "Boys Life" and several other magazines. He was not discouraged however and became even more determined to become a published author.

However high school interrupted that goal. After graduation Larson attended the University of Minnesota, Morris receiving a degree in secondary education with a major in biology and a minor in physical education. He began his teaching career at the Wheaton High School, Wheaton, MN. After two years Larson was awarded a National Science Foundation Grant to the University of Oklahoma. After four summers of intensive study he received his Masters of Natural Science Degree.

The decade of the 1970's was a busy time for Larson. Besides getting his teaching career established and completing his masters degree,he married his wife Kathie and they had three children, Steve(1973), Jill(1975) and Bonnie(1979). His dreams of becoming a writer had to be put on hold during this busy time in his life.

In 1980 the Wheaton Schools downsized because of dwindling enrollment and Larson was cut to part time. That was the wakeup call he needed to get his writing ambitions back on track. He realized he couldn't raise a family on part time employment. Fortunately the high school 17 miles down the road at Herman, MN needed a biology teacher so for eleven years he taught at both schools. But this near loss of a job reminded him that he wanted to write and teachers had a great opportunity to do that in June, July and August. So he dedicated his summers to do just that.

For four summers he produced a variety of manuscripts but received only rejection slips for his efforts. Then in 1985 he got his first big break when he began writing a children's nature column for the monthly magazine "Minnesota Out Of Doors". He used his family in the column. Steve, Jill and Bonnie would go into the outdoors and have an adventure with some critter. Through the adventure the young reader learned about the outdoors. Each column ended with an activity that extended the learning begun in the column.

The column lasted for six years which resulted in 73 environmental stories with activity pages. Larson self-published the stories into a three set volume titled "Children In The Outdoors". For almost twenty years he traveled through the states of Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Iowa presenting workshops for elementary teachers. Using the books, teachers were challenged to develop activities that would allow their students to learn in the outdoors.

If you check the picture in Larson's profile on Amazon's Author Page you will see the three volumes. The books are out of print now, however Larson has a dwindling supply at his home which he is willing to make available to interested individuals. You can reach him at: mklarson@frontiernet.net

After 34 years of teaching Larson retired in 2001. He enjoyed his "Children In The Outdoors" experience so much that he has released two more books through WestBow Press. Those too are visible on his profile picture on the Amazon Author Page. Both of the books continue the nature theme but Larson has added a Christian message to each.

Actually the first book "Nature's Christmas Story" was written by Larson in 1980 when he first reactivated his writing career. It was his favorite manuscript so he needed to see it in print. That book was received so well by the public that Larson was encouraged to release "The Easter Sparrows" in 2010.

He is now in the process of marketing the two holiday books and is working on a third. His eighth grade dream has come true.

The author can be reached by e-mail at: mklarson@frontiernet.net