Sing a Song of Salamanders...

Last week it was the Wibbly. This week it’s wiggly, squiggly salamanders. I knew I would love this book the moment I saw the cover, and I was right!

Salamander Song 

by Ginny Neil; illus. by Charli Vince 

40 pages; ages 4-8

Tilbury House Publishers, 2025

theme: citizen science, salamanders, nature

Autumn sings here, “Ready! Set! Swish!”

We meet the salamander at the end of salamander season – in the fall when it’s ready to burrow in for the winter. But soon, sleet raps and taps. The pond fills. Water slips and drips “into the deep and tickles the salamander out of its sleep.” Fortunately, there are people who are ready and willing to help the salamander and its friends cross the road to the safety of the vernal pool. 

What I like love about this book: The language is lyrical and luscious. There is rhyme without being a rhyming book, and there is a rhythm to this story that culminates in the chant on the last few pages… a chant that almost sounds like a salamander fight song. The illustrations invite children to spend time on the page noticing details. As a whole, this book encourages kids (and adults, too, I hope) to head outside on a wet night to check out the seasonal amphibians. And maybe get involved in Big Night, when folks help frogs and salamanders by slowing traffic for amphibian crossings. Back matter includes an author’s note and four community science projects that kids can get involved in.

I had to ask Ginny One Question.

Me: Your book has the feel of someone who's gone out and helped salamanders cross the roads. Have you?

Ginny: Although I have never participated in a Big Night salamander event, I am a Master Naturalist and as part of my training I visited vernal pools. Our leader, a salamander expert, netted various salamanders including a rare Jefferson salamander, and we saw balls of breeding toads (called toad balls) in which many males climb atop one female and the resulting mass forms a ball that rolls and roils in the pond. We also pulled up spotted salamander egg masses cemented to underwater vegetation, and our guide talked to us about the shrinking number of vernal pools available for these mass breeding events. 

Months later, I read an article about a citizen science project called Big Night, which takes place on the first night of a warm spring rain. This is when ordinary people gather and provide help for all the amphibians trying to reach vernal pools across the road from their wintering grounds. It was an intriguing idea and since I have done many citizen science projects with students I wanted to write about the idea of ordinary citizens working together to add data to the scientific community. Since all amphibians are counted as they cross, this was an interesting way to approach it. The book follows the salamanders and humans through the season until they meet on a night of salamander rain.

I love salamanders. My boys kept some red newts ( no longer legally permissible because of disease) in a terrarium  when they were growing up and we find them all the time around our mountain farm. All salamanders are considered an indicator species so when they begin to disappear we should be concerned.

Thank you for your salamander savvy. Ginny is a member of #STEAMTeam2025.  A couple of years ago we chatted about her book,  The Glorious Forest that Fire Built. You can find out more about her at her website, www.ginnyneilwrites.com

Beyond the Books:

Go on a salamander search. Choose a warm rainy night to go outside where you can listen for frogs croaking, toads trilling, and maybe see some slithery salamanders migrating toward their pond. If you don’t have salamanders living near you, check out these salamanders from North Carolina. So many kinds!

Why did the Salamander cross the road? You can find out in this article about the annual spring salamander migration in my neck of the woods.

Create a sensational salamander. You could use legos, carboard and paint, or crayons and paper to create a salamander that you’d love to see. You can even use the letter S as a salamander template, like this one from the San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum.

Today we’re joining Perfect Picture Book Friday. It’s a wonderful gathering where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. Review copy provided by the publisher.