See Book List Hayley Rocco
I’ve spent a fair amount of time thinking about how one actually becomes a “voice for the voiceless,” mostly because it sounds like a job that requires a lot of shouting into empty rooms. But then there’s Hayley Rocco. She spent years as a publishing publicist—essentially professional shouting for other people’s books—before deciding she’d rather write her own. And thank goodness for that. She’s managed to bridge the gap between the chaotic wonder of a child’s imagination and the sobering reality that we’re currently sharing the planet with creatures that look like pinecones (the pangolin) or wet, pink aliens (the axolotl).
Her bibliography is a bit like a well-organized hiking bag: part practical, part sentimental. She started with How to Send a Hug, a book she made with her husband, John Rocco (because apparently, some couples actually enjoy working together). It’s about a girl named Artie sending a letter to her grandmother. In an era when we “stay in touch” via pixelated thumbs-up emojis, Hayley reminds us that there’s a specific, tactile magic to a handwritten note. It’s a slow-burn kind of love. It’s also much harder to accidentally delete a letter than a text, though the dog can still eat it.
Then she pivoted to the “Wild Things.” While most of us were trying to figure out how to work a sourdough starter, Hayley was becoming an ambassador for Wild Tomorrow, documenting rewilding efforts in South Africa. Her Meet the Wild Things series and her biography of David Attenborough do something tricky: they teach kids about conservation without making them feel like the world is ending before recess. She treats “fledgling conservationists” like the smart little humans they are, which is a refreshingly bold move.
But the real “golden thread”—the thing that ties her work together—is the idea that nothing is truly yours until you share it. Look at All the Books, which is currently a nominee for the 2026-27 Show Me Book Award. It features a chipmunk named Piper Waterstone who is, quite frankly, a hoarder. She wants all the books. She piles them so high she can’t see the sky (a relatable problem for anyone with a “To Read” stack currently threatening their structural integrity). Piper only finds peace when a librarian explains the concept of a library card. It turns out that having one book you share is infinitely better than having a hundred you’re buried under. It’s a lesson in community, sure, but it’s also a gentle reminder that librarians are basically wizards.
Hayley’s “Why” is pretty simple, if you ask her: she wants to amplify the stories of the animals we love and the wild places they live in. She’s a traveler who actually pays attention. Her writing feels like it comes from a person who has sat in the dirt, looked a strange animal in the eye, and thought, “Someone needs to hear about this.”
So, do yourself a favor. Check out Hayley’s books right here, via DJWBookworm’s link here to Bookshop.org. Read them to a kid. Or to your kid. Or read them to yourself – I won’t tell.
See Book List Hayley Rocco