Ubiquitous: Celebrating Nature’s Survivors
illustrated by Beckie Prange. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010. ISBN: 9780618717194. Ages 6-12
Grass
I grow in places others can’t.
where wind is high and water scant.
I drink the rain, I eat the sun;
before the prairie winds I run . . .
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? And survive not just in one place, but in many places? How did they become Ubiquitous? Read this fascinating blend of poetry, nonfiction and art, and find out.
Washington Post Best Book of the Year
Publisher's Weekly Best Book of the Year
Kirkus Best Book of the Year
School Library Journal Best Book of the Year
"A delightful feast for the eyes, ears, and mind.”
*School Library Journal (starred review)
“Sidman delights with another gorgeous collection of poems celebrating the natural world.”
*Kirkus (starred review)
“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)
Resources
Joyce Reads “The Ants"
SLJ’s "Under Cover" article about this book
Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast blog about this book