This Is How a Ball Rolls: The Science of Wobbling, Bouncing, Spinning Balls
Written by Heather Tekavec
Illustrated by Suharu Ogawa
Published by Kids Can Press
Teachers on Call Interview with Heather Tekavec – March 30th, 2026
BOOK SYNOPSIS
In this one-of-a-kind informational picture book, cleverly tongue-twisting descriptions introduce twelve different types of sports balls, and readers are encouraged to guess what they are. An accompanying block of text provides the answer and explains the science behind how the balls do what they do (hint: the fuzz on tennis balls is there for a reason!) and what makes them so much fun! The balls are listed in ascending order by size, from a tiny marble, a ”clinking, plinking, bumping ball,“ to a person-sized Zorb ball, a ”slip-and-slide-inside ball.“ Entertaining, playful and loads of fun to read aloud, this is a perfect STEAM pick for classrooms, and a great mashup of sports and science.
Bestselling author Heather Tekavec combines a high-interest topic, fascinating science and silly-sounding text to create the kind of book that young children will want to spend time with. Suharu Ogawa’s irreverent, offbeat art is full of clever little details readers will delight in discovering. This book is a great accompaniment to primary grade science lessons on physics topics such as matter, motion, forces and inventions. The back matter contains explanations of the essential physics of balls and ball-related trivia questions.
HEATHER TEKAVEC
While working as a preschool teacher, Heather Tekavec discovered that children’s books were a lot more fun than adult books. After falling in love with the works of Pat Hutchins, Keiko Kasza, Jez Alborough and many others, she started to see humorous stories in everything from storms to naked mole rats, and she couldn’t help but write these stories down.
Heather has fourteen published books, printed in fifteen different languages around the world, and has even met her grand goal of having books in McDonald’s Happy Meals! Heather’s won various awards for her books, but her favourite awards are the ones that young readers get to vote on!
Now Heather works as an editor, helping other writers find their way into the world of publishing.
Twenty-some years since her first story made it to bookshelves, Heather still thinks children’s books are more fun than adult books and can’t imagine anything better than playing every day in different make-believe worlds.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Website: http://www.tekavec.com
Instagram: @heathertekavec
Email: heather@tekavec.com
BIBLIOGRAPHY
THIS IS HOW A BALL ROLLS: The Science of Wobbling, Bouncing, Spinning Balls! Kids Can Press, 2025
ARNOLD THE SUPER-ISH HERO, Kids Can Press, 2021
WANTED: CRIMINALS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM, Kids Can Press, 2020
DIFFERENT? SAME! Kids Can Press, 2017 (picture book), 2021 (board book)
MANNERS ARE NOT FOR MONKEYS! Kids Can Press, 2016
STOP, THIEF! Kids Can Press, 2014
BIBO FINDS WATER & BIBO WANTS A JOB, HermanHesse Korea, 2012
OUR NEIGHBOR, CANADA, Pearson Learning Group USA, 2007
THE COST OF PASSAGE, Herald Press, 2004
WHAT’S THAT AWFUL SMELL? Dial Books for Young Readers, 2004
STORM IS COMING! Dial Books for Young Readers, 2002
SUHARU OGAWA
Suharu Ogawa is a Toronto-based illustrator originally from Japan. Her love for drawing started in a kindergarten art school after being kicked out of calligraphy class for refusing to convert to right-handedness. Formally trained in Art History and Cultural Anthropology, she worked for several years as a university librarian until her passion for illustration called her out of that career and into the pursuit of a lifelong dream.
Since then, Suharu has done various work for magazines, children’s books, public art projects, and more. She also teaches illustration as Assistant Professor at OCAD University.
Her name is pronounced as pretty much how it’s spelled and named after Subaru (or Pleiades), an open star cluster in the constellation of Taurus.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Website: http://www.suharuogawa.com
Instagram: @suharuogawa
Email: suharu@suharuogawa.com
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Brianna Banana, Worst Surprise Ever. Written by Lana Button, illustrated by Suharu Ogawa. Orca Book Publishers, 2025.
Brianna Banana, Helper of the Day. Written by Lana Button, illustrated by Suharu Ogawa. Orca Book Publishers, 2025.
This is How a Ball Rolls: The Science of Wobbling, Bouncing, Spinning Balls. Written by Heather Tekavec, illustrated by Suharu Ogawa. Kids Can Press, 2025.
All Consuming: Shop Smarter for the Planet. Written by Erin Silver, illustrated by Suharu Ogawa. Orca Book Publishers, September, 2024.
Cities: How Humans Live Together. Written by Megan Clendenan, illustrated by Suharu Ogawa. Orca Book Publishers, May 2023.
Good Food, Bad Waste: Let’s Eat for the Planet. Written by Erin Silver, illustrated by Suharu Ogawa. Orca Book Publishers, April 2023.
We Are Many. Written by Dave Cameron, illustrated by Suharu Ogawa. Kids Can Press, October 2022.
Hooray for Trucks! Written by Susan Hughes, illustrated by Suharu Ogawa. Owl Kids, September 2022.
Why Humans Work. Written by Monique Polak, illustrated by Suharu Ogawa. Orca Book Publishers, May 2022.
Why Does My Shadow Follow Me? More Science Questions from Real Kids. Written by Kira Vermond, illustrated by Suharu Ogawa. Annick Press, 2021.
Why Don’t Cars Run on Apple Juice?: Real Science Questions from Real Kids. Written by Kira Ver
