Glorious poetry, fascinating science and stunning art celebrate the successful and sturdy organisms that have overcome both predators and time. From the creators of the Caldecott Honor Book Song of the Water Boatman and Other Pond Poems … Ubiquitous (yoo-bik-wi-tuhs): Something that is (or seems to be) everywhere at the same time. 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: in deserts, in ice, in lakes and puddles, inside houses and forest and farmland? Just how do they become ubiquitous?
AUTHORS Joyce Sidman lives in Wayzata, Minnesota, where she battles dandelions with great respect for their survival techniques. Beckie Prange lives in Ely, Minnesota, where she spends as much time as possible in the woods looking at lichens, crows, and other hardy northern species. Her first book received a Caldecott Honor. REVIEWS Reviews: The creators of the Caldecott Honor Book Song of the Waterboatman and Other Pond Poems (2005) 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. –Booklist, starred review

The team behind the Caldecott-Honor winning Song of the Water Boatman pays tribute to biologically successful species–from mollusks and lichens to dandelions and sharks–in poems that appear in order of each animal’s first appearance on earth (a striking, mazelike time line puts the billions of years into perspective)…Fascinating factual information appears on each page; the graceful integration of science and art results in a celebratory story of survival. –Publishers Weekly, starred review

This volume of beautifully illustrated poems investigates the natural world, from the single-celled bacteria and diatom to the ever-present ant and dandelion. Well-researched science facts are paired with vivid poems to describe how these very special life-forms avoided extinction to become nature’s survivors…From the depiction of ant tunnels to the surprising perspective of blades of grass, the bold and colorful linocuts are incredibly detailed and successfully capture the essence of each creature as part of its larger environment. A delightful feast for the eyes, ears, and mind. –School Library Journal, starred review ILLUSTRATIONS Full-colour Ages 6-9 *