The Observologist: A Handbook for Mounting Very Small Scientific Expeditions

Weedy gardens, leaf-strewn backyards, and “the shady side of a building where the sun barely touches” become spaces for discovery in this affectionate solo debut by New Zealand cartoonist Clarkson (The Tiny Woman’s Coat). Styled as a naturalist’s sketchbook, earth-toned comics of larger-than-life bugs and their damp, shadowy habitats, accompanied by hand-lettered descriptions, encourage inquisitive readers to “spend a lot of time gazing at the ground.” Clarkson distills complex topics—such as how to tell a carnivorous centipede from a vegetarian millipede or a cocoon from a chrysalis—using text that emanates amazement. A diagram of an earthworm that “breathes through its skin” includes subjective, nonscientific appreciation of its “lovely, pretty shade of pink like a rose or an iced bun,” and various fauna interject their own humorous remarks, keeping the mood playful, as when a cockroach inquires, “Would you think I was yucky if I lived in your cupboard?” Clarkson’s fond factoids and mindful sketches express joy in learning while promoting empathy for tiny creatures, with step-by-step instructions on moving worms out of harm’s way and saving moths from water “without accidentally making the situation worse.” Nature nerds will rejoice in this compendium of creepy-crawlies. Ages 7–12. (Feb.)