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Ubiquitous:
Celebrating Nature's Survivors
illustrated by Beckie Prange
Houghton Mifflin, 2010
ISBN-13: 978-0-618-71719-4
**Kirkus (starred review)
"Sidman delights with another gorgeous collection of poems celebrating the natural world."
How this book started . . .
My sister is a biologist who works with insects. One day, on an impromptu nature walk, she snagged a beetle, held it in her hand, and remarked about how successful beetles are--how many species there are in the world. She went on to explain that they had mutated from flies; their forewings had become hardened and armored, allowing them to survive better than flies under extreme conditions. This discussion started me thinking about what allows one group of organisms to stick it out here on earth, while others become extinct. Boy, was it ever interesting to find out! I did more research for this book than any other; but I learned more, too--I basically ended up studying evolutionary history.
Interviews about this book. . .
Buy this book . . .
“Graceful integration of science and art results in a celebratory story of survival."
--Publisher's Weekly, starred review
Why is the beetle, born 265 million years ago, still with us today? (Because its wings mutated and hardened.) How did the gecko survive 160 million years? (By becoming nocturnal and developing sticky toe pads.) How did the shark and the crow and the tiny ant survive millions and millions of years? When 99 percent of all life forms on earth have become extinct, why do some survive? And survive not just in one place, but in many places? How do they become UBIQUITOUS? Read this fascinating blend of poetry, nonfiction and art, and find out!
(Including a list of other "survivor" species)
Awards
IRA Teachers' Choices Award
NCTE Notable Children's Book in the Lang. Arts
NCTE Notable Children's Book in the Lang. Arts
ALA Notable Children's Book
NSTA-CBC Outstanding Science Trade Book
CCBC Recommended Book
CCBC Recommended Book
John Burroughs Nature Book
Bank Street CBC Best Book of the Year Publisher's Weekly Best Book of the Year
Washington Post Best Book of the Year
Kirkus Best Book of the Year
School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
Booklist Top 10 Sci-Tech title for 2010
New York Public Library's "100 Best Books"
Eureka! Gold Award in Nonfiction
Cybils Poetry Award Finalist
Reviews
"The creators of the Caldecott Honor Book Song of the Waterboatman and Other Pond Poems offer another winning blend of poetry, science, and art in this picture-book collection that celebrates the Earth’s most resilient and long-lived species. . . .”
"Deft poems extended by background information and entrancing illustrations."
"Sidman’s words are vivid and affectionate. . . and Prange’s expressive linocuts capture the character of each animal. Fascinating factual information appears on each page."
"A delightful feast for the eyes, ears, and mind."
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