Butterflies and Spiders ~ Oh my!

It's never too cold - or snowy - to read about bugs! I say this as a person who, even in winter (or maybe especially in winter?) discovers ladybugs wandering over the keyboard and boards a jumping spider somewhere behind the book case. Not to mention the temporary guests: wasps and spiders who come in with the furnace-bound firewood. They warm up and begin exploring and next thing you know I've got to get my net out to do a bit of insect control.

The Truth About Butterflies 

by Maxwell Eaton III 

32 pages; ages 4-8

Roaring Brook Press, 2020

Each page introduces facts about butterflies in a fun way. Maxwell Eaton highlights butterfly diversity, shows strategies for survival, and gives a guided tour of the stages of butterfly life. Dialog – from humans, pets, birds, and butterflies (even the pupae have something to say) – add humor and occasional facts. Plenty of text boxes add context.

What I like about this book: It’s a fun approach for kids. And I know I’ll be listening harder for butterfly voices this summer. I like that the section about human impacts include positive action kids can take to make their homes a better place for butterflies. There’s a butterfly file at the back with tons of info about behavior and suggested reading for larvae (kids) and adults.

Jumping Spiders (Creepy Crawlers in Action: Augmented Reality series)

By Sandra Markle

32 pages; ages 8-12

Lerner, 2021

Six chapters introduce the jumping spider’s world and give a close-up introduction to these fascinating spiders. We get to know the spider on the outside as well as the inside  - did you know they have “book lungs?” Jumping spiders spend a lot of time hunting, so Sandra Markle takes us along on a hunting expedition (from the spider’s point of view). We learn about the life cycle of the jumping spiders and how males dance to attract a mate. Back matter includes more information about jumping spiders and their relatives.

This book is part of a brand new middle-grade series that also includes locusts, mosquitoes, praying mantises, stick insects, and ticks. Sure, there are tons of books about bugs - but these books go way beyond the pages. Readers with smart phones can download the appropriate app and, when they come upon the Augmented Reality icon, scan it to watch the spiders - and other arthropods - “come to life.”

Explore Outdoors ~ Snowy Trees

 

After one of the snowstorms, my eye was drawn to the snowy limbs of trees. It accented the structure of the trees. The snow was light and powdery, so it didn't weight anything down. Over time, some was blown off by wind, pushed off by birds landing, and melted off in the sun.

And then there was this one, looking more like someone had dumped a load of feathers on it from above.

 How does snow collect on the trees in your neighborhood?

 

BLOG Tour ~ The Leaf Detective

Today we're joining the Blog Tour for Heather Lang's newest book. Even though there are no leaves on the trees in my neck of the woods - except the dried and brittle beech leaves that rattle in the wind - there will be leaves soon. And what better way to spend a brrr-y winter day than on a rainforest adventure?

The Leaf Detective: How Margaret Lowman Uncovered Secrets in the Rainforest 
by Heather Lang; illus. by Jana Christy 
48 pages; ages 7-10
Calkins Creek, 2021

theme: biography, STEM, trees

Meg loved how leaves burst into the world and unfurled. She admired their different shapes, colors, and textures.

Meg had been a leaf detective since she was a young girl. Even though most people thought there was no room for a woman in science, she went to university and conducted research in the rainforest. But trying to study leaves – especially those high in a rainforest canopy – is hard to do from the ground. Meg needed top find a way to get into the treetops. 

What I like about this book: I like how Heather Lang highlights Meg’s problem-solving skills – those that led to getting up into the canopy and those that helped her understand canopy ecology. And I really like how Heather brings Meg’s voice into the story through quotes from her articles and writings. One of my favorites: “We had already been to the moon and back and nobody had been to the top of the tree.”

Last week I posted a bit from Nonfiction Writers Dig Deep. Heather is one of the authors who contributed to that book, so this week I asked her One Question raised in the book.

Me: How did you dig through your passions and experiences and personality to come up with the way you chose to tell the story of Leaf Detective?

Heather: I began my work on The Leaf Detective with a deep passion for our natural world. I’m in awe of its sounds, smells, sights, mysteries, and wonders. Every time I encounter stories about how we are destroying nature, I feel a sense of dread and desperation. We’ve already lost more than half of our forests. I knew from the outset I wanted to write a book that was both a biography and a science book about the rainforest.

Heather & Meg, on the canopy walk in the Amazon

As I researched Meg Lowman, I was struck by the depth of her connection to trees—a connection that grew from profound respect, appreciation, love. And when I met Meg in person for the first time, I could literally feel this connection. It floated across the table and filled me up. Afterwards, I thought a lot about my own connections to nature, friends, family, animals, and other passions. I examined and questioned those special feelings of being inextricably intertwined. I marveled over how we are all interconnected on this planet—from ants to trees to humans.

When I sat down to start writing Meg’s story, the words came tumbling out as a love poem to trees. And that tribute to trees became the foundation for a lyrical biography about a quiet girl, whose true love for nature and plants shaped her and led her to become a pioneer in tree canopy science and ultimately a tree protector.

Beyond the Books: Be a leaf detective!

In the winter, what leaves do you find still attached to trees? Draw what they look like, or take photos. Do they stay attached all winter?

In the spring, find a limb you can easily observe and collect information on how fast the leaves grow. You might want a camera, or a ruler. 

In the summer, compare leaves of different trees. What do you notice about the leaves? Are the edges nibbled? If so, what’s eating the leaves?

In the fall, compare how different kinds of leaves turn colors, and the way they move when they let go of their twig.

Heather Lang is a member of #STEAMTeam2021. You can find out more about her at her website.  When the valentine story contest is over, we’ll rejoin Picture Book Friday, an event where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. Review copy provided by the publisher.