The Three Little Tardigrades

Substituting water bears for little pigs, Fay’s playfully STEM-centric tale introduces a trio of tardigrades dwelling together “in a cozy little drop of H20.” Though the family has a lovely life “ingesting algae, digesting algae,” and “excreting by-products of algae,” Mother Tardigrade at last tells Gavin, Colin, and Doug that it’s time to explore the big wide world, warning them of the Big Hairy Wolf Spider. As they seek new homes, fiery-tempered Gavin goes in search of an erupting volcano, “cool character” Colin sets out to find an underwater ice cave, and Doug (“not one for spontaneity”) makes his way to the moon. As the Big Hairy Wolf Spider appears in turn at each tardigrade’s doorstep, their ability to endure extremes saves them. Fay’s potato-and-paint artwork gives tidy graphical verve to this laugh-out-loud story of survival superpowers, told in fittingly fact-laden, serio-comic prose. More about tardigrades concludes. Ages 4–8. (Jan.)