Hand-painted illustrations fill the page with over-sized animal images.  Little Lion's facial expressions cover a wide range of emotions.  He moves from pride to doubt, fearlessness to trepidation with each page turn. Animals roar, grunt, snap, and whisper. These descriptive verbs enrich the story experience and provide opportunities for dramatic reading. With limited vocabulary and repetitive text, this book makes an excellent read aloud. A chorus of young voices will joyfully join in the refrain, "Oh really?" 

German illustrator and author Constanze V. Kitzing hosts an interactive website and a newsletter which are chock full of interesting explorations for youngsters. There is one obstacle: the site is in German. However with the assistance of Google translate and some deductive reasoning, it is possible to share some of these creative activities with children everywhere.

Messer has created her own little hide-and-seek game within the pages of the books.  Discovering where Lazybones is hiding on each successive page is part of the book's charm.  Dog owners everywhere will delight in the antics of Lazybones.

Who knew that decaying matter could be intriguing? Leslie Bulion knew. She has created Leaf Litter Critters, a fascinating look at the ins and outs of brown matter, AKA the leaf litter layer. From the cover to the last page, this is one amazing little volume. Here are my top ten reasons to read and share a copy of this book.

10. Cover

Check this out: a blue bug-eyed frog with a humongous tongue, sitting on a pile of garbage with all kinds of crazy creatures twisting, turning, leaping, spying, escaping all around.
Wait! I think the frog has teeth. Really?  And what's with all those spinning things? Are they dive-bombing the frog or are they trying to escape that major-long tongue?
This looks like one wild read.
It's a slim book: only 56 pages. It slides easily into the front pouch of your hoodie. It can go wherever you go. Science made simple.

9. Subject matter

Are you into gross? Are you into slimy? Creepy? Crawly? Are you ready to venture into the dark and dank area known as the "brown food web" ?
​Welcome to the world of bacteria, fungi, mites, earthworms, millipedes, beetles and many more critters. Probably best not to read this while eating chocolate-covered gummy worms. Just sayin'.

8. Comparison charts & MORE

Just how big are these critters IRL? A comparison graphic gives you a good idea. Using a pin, and even the head of pin, scale renderings put relative sizes in proper perspective. You'll also find a glossary (with illustrations), specific information on how to conduct your own investigations, as well as additional resources you can access online. A selection of books will further your own  explorations.

7. Berlese Funnel

You want to see these critters for yourself?  You can!  Build your own equipment to view these creatures. You're gonna need a one-liter soda bottle, a light bulb, a small piece of mesh, ethyl alcohol to preserve your specimens, and some tweezers to pick up the little critters.  You'll find more information on page 53.
Note: The soda bottle should be empty. That means you get to drink a liter of soda.  But it’s okay because you're doing this for science. View the berlese video

5. Big words

Stop using those lame descriptions such as "those little white things with a ton of legs" and up your game by referring them as symphylan.
No no, my friend, that's not a squishy blob of oozing jelly. That's an amoeba.
​Amaze your teachers. Astound your friends. 
Bonus: that critter to the right is called a rotifer. 
​You're sounding smarter already!

6. Way-cool factoids

Every poem is accompanied by a Science Note. If you enjoy collecting factoids, this is the place for you. Did you know that: One hundred million to one billion bacteria might live in the water film of one teaspoon of soil? It has been estimated that four out of every five animals on Earth are nematodes?  Mites are no bigger than a grain of sand? Centipedes have between 15 and 191 pairs of legs, one pair for each body segment?  You can own the "strange but true" catagory.

4. Illustrations

Robert Meganck, how can you make such disgusting animals, living amid rot and ruin, so fascinating? The colorful comic-style illustrations are terrific.  Consider the expressive faces, especially those bugged-out eyes. Look at the springtale with multiple knives, forks, and spoons slurping up nematodes as if they were strands of spaghetti.  Check out the mites with ferocious features and sharp teeth for ravaging roundworms. Comics beneath your feet.

3. Poetry

Leslie Bulion can wax poetic on denizens of decay. Seriously, she is the Shakespeare of duff. Yup. That's a real word. She uses cinquain, free verse, shape poetry, triolet, kyrielle, two voices, ballad, and clerihew. She also explains words like stanza, beats, rhythm, and poetic form. Yeah, it sounds like a lot. But you can skip the explanations, AKA  Poetry Notes found in the back. You don't have to know how they are constructed to just enjoy them. They are fun to read aloud. Try one of these in science class. Or if you are especially daring, share one in English.

2. FUN! 

Why should science be boring? Seriously. Why should learning about your environment be an endless recital of textbook copy?
​Guess what. It's not. Remember when you were a little kid and used pick up rocks to discover what was underneath them? Did you ever squat down on the ground to play with pillbugs, watching them roll into a round little ball? Now you can do that for real. It’s called science.

1. STEM with a side of STEAM

You want multi-disciplinary? This book takes STEM to the next level. Find basic science information and ideas for further investigations.  Get your observation, experimentation, research skills on. But wait... There's more. Use the left side of your brain to design imaginative collages, comics, or infographics for stunning visual displays.  Then get your word nerd on by composing poems, raps, song lyrics, and more to share the wonder of the world down under.

This collection of fascinating rodents is arranged by size, beginning with the smallest. I found the answer to my first question on page one. The pygmy jerboa is the world's smallest rodent and possesses extremely long legs. The 1-inch leg and 1/2-inch foot can jump up to 10 feet! Yes indeed. I had my ruler with me, measuring these furry creatures as I moved through the pages. Each image is accompanied by a paragraph of fascinating trivia, not the boring stuff, but the information that kids love to memorize and rattle off. Did you know that chipmunks can collect as many as 165 acorns a day to store for the winter? How about an African giant pouched rat that detect tuberculosis lab samples with a "higher accuracy rate in ten minutes than a human technician can in a whole day." This is the stuff that young trivia enthusiasts thrive on.
Moving on to my second question: How to depict all these animals at actual size? The very clever Munro figured out a way. As the animals become progressively larger, we see parts of the animals, the beavers' webbed feet, a close-up of the capybara head in profile. Each body part is presented at an authentic size.

Back matter includes a brief description of each animal pictured with scientific species and genus name for most, body measurements, habitat, and an interesting fact or two.  Additional general information consists of a glossary, an index, and a list of sources and websites. 

Several large corporations sponsor bee-related initiatives. Here are a few to check out.

A gecko named Matylda "spell it with a y so it's all her own... Matylda of the Ancient Face and Starfish Toes...Matylda, the warrior with heart who'd never been beaten."  
Trapping crickets "MAKE YOURSELF KNOWN!" Guy called to the crickets in the backyard.
Feeding crickets to a gecko "I couldn't stop looking at the antenna sticking out, still moving back and forth, slowly... It's between two worlds, You know what I mean...the antenna is still in this world, but the rest of her isn't anymore...like the cricket's here and somewhere else at the same time."
Luck "Luck's another story...You just get it, sometimes good, sometimes bad. Unless there's a ladybug, of course - then it's always good."

Tender Moments
​Friendship "It was like we were backward and forward at the same time."  I'm okay with it," I said. "As long as you're with me!"
​Power of love  "Love can make anything happen...The world can be a perfect circle sometimes."
Turning back time "I wanted to do it over, and I couldn't do it over. The spokes came fast, faster, spinning spinning spinning..
Loss "The days came and floated in and out, and my blinds were open and they were closed, and I lay in my bed and I wanted to go to the boy I loved, I wanted to go to Guy, to follow the path of my friend."
Healing "You and me, Matylda with a y, we're different now."

​Ji-li Jiang's tender story introduces readers to Lotus, a lonely young girl who has lost her ability to speak. She lives with her grandfather near a lake, bereft of the animals that used to inhibit its waters and shores.
The tune Lotus plays with her reed whistle epitomizes her world.
"The sound drifted around the empty lake like a wisp of sorrow."

One day she encounters a wounded bird, trapped in the marshes near her home. To her astonishment, it is an elegant crane. With great effort, Lotus manages to rescue the bird, carrying the heavy load home to her grandfather. With his healing skills and her constant vigilance, the crane, who becomes known as Feather, slowly recovers and becomes this girl's constant companion. Together, the two wounded souls find solace and eventually joy in their companionship. When tragedy strikes the village, it is Feather, together with Lotus and Grandpa, who are able to save the community.
​The day arrives when Feather must return to the wild. With a heavy heart, Lotus sets him free. Eventually Feather returns. Lotus' whistled tune now becomes a sound of joy.
"Her whistle, accompanied by the birds' singing, echoed far, far away in the golden sky."

Watercolor is one of my favorite mediums. I love the fresh clean feel of pigment mixed with water. Julie Downing has a way with watercolor, bringing its beauty and spontaneity to this tale of a shy Chinese girl and a wounded crane. The cover art featuring entwined, circular images is particularly evocative and conveys the message of this heartfelt story.
I was surprised to learn that Downing used digital tools to develop the illustrations. It is a laborious process, requiring hours of painstaking work. She painted about 70 separate transparent layers and then digitally arranged and rearranged them to create the final product. Learn more about the art of creating her stunning images here.