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Leigh, Lindsey

ENTRY TYPE: new

WORK TITLE: The Dark!
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: https://www.linseedling.com/
CITY: Somerville
STATE:
COUNTRY: United States
NATIONALITY:
LAST VOLUME:

 

RESEARCHER NOTES:

PERSONAL

Female.

ADDRESS

  • Home - Somerville, MA.
  • Agent - Janna Morishima, Janna Co.; janna@jannaco.co.

CAREER

Illustrator, writer, and designer. Completed Scientific Illustration internship with Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Washington, DC; creator of educational comics for Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Georgia Institute of Technology, and BBC Focus.

MEMBER:

Guild of Natural Scientific Illustrators.

WRITINGS

  • SELF-ILLUSTRATED
  • The Deep! Wild Life at the Ocean's Darkest Depths, Penguin Workshop (New York, NY), 2023
  • The Dark! Wild Life in the Mysterious World of Caves, Penguin Workshop (New York, NY), 2024
  • ILLUSTRATOR
  • (Heather L. Montgomery) Sick! The Twists and Turns behind Animal Germs, Bloomsbury Children's Books (New York, NY), 2024

SIDELIGHTS

BIOCRIT

PERIODICALS

  • Booklist, May 18, 2024, John Peters, review of The Dark! Wild Life in the Mysterious World of Caves, p. 38; January 1, 2024, John Peters, review of Sick! The Twists and Turns behind Animal Germs, p. 53.

  • Kirkus Reviews, April 15, 2023, review of The Deep! Wild Life at the Ocean’s Darkest Depths; December 1, 2023, review of Sick!; June 15, 2024, review of The Dark!

  • School Library Journal, July, 2024, Melisa Bailey, review of The Dark!, p. 77.

ONLINE

  • Annie’s Book Stop of Worcester, https://anniesbookstopworcester.blog/ (September 13, 2024), “Author Spotlight Friday—Lindsey Leigh.”

  • Lindsey Leigh website, https://www.linseedling.com (February 4, 2025).

  • School Library Journal: A Fuse #8 Production, https://afuse8production.slj.com/ (June 29, 2023), Betsy Bird, “Guest Post: Featuring Lindsey Leigh, Author and Illustrator of The Deep!

  • School Library Journal: Teen Librarian Toolbox, https://teenlibrariantoolbox.com/ (August 15, 2024), “Exploring Unique Creatures of the Deep and the Dark! A Guest Post by Lindsey Leigh.”

  • The Deep! Wild Life at the Ocean's Darkest Depths Penguin Workshop (New York, NY), 2023
  • The Dark! Wild Life in the Mysterious World of Caves Penguin Workshop (New York, NY), 2024
  • Sick! The Twists and Turns behind Animal Germs Bloomsbury Children's Books (New York, NY), 2024
1. The dark! : wild life in the mysterious world of caves LCCN 2024017056 Type of material Book Personal name Leigh, Lindsey, author, illustrator. Main title The dark! : wild life in the mysterious world of caves / by Lindsey Leigh. Published/Produced New York : Penguin Workshop, 2024 Description 93 pages : color illustrations ; 26 cm ISBN 9780593662595 (kindle edition) (epub) CALL NUMBER QL117 .L45 2024 FT MEADE Copy 1 Request in Jefferson or Adams Building Reading Rooms - STORED OFFSITE 2. Sick! : the twists and turns behind animal germs LCCN 2023037753 Type of material Book Personal name Montgomery, Heather L., author. Main title Sick! : the twists and turns behind animal germs / by Heather L. Montgomery ; illustrated by Lindsey Leigh. Published/Produced New York : Bloomsbury Children's Books, 2024. Projected pub date 2402 Description 1 online resource ISBN 9781547609871 (pdf) 9781547609864 (epub) (hardcover) Item not available at the Library. Why not? 3. The deep! : wild life at the ocean's darkest depths LCCN 2023010118 Type of material Book Personal name Leigh, Lindsey, author, illustrator. Main title The deep! : wild life at the ocean's darkest depths / by Lindsey Leigh. Published/Produced New York : Penguin Workshop, 2023. Description 93 pages : color illustrations ; 26 cm ISBN 9780593521687 (hardcover) (kindle edition) (epub) CALL NUMBER QL125.5 .L45 2023 FT MEADE Copy 1 Request in Jefferson or Adams Building Reading Rooms - STORED OFFSITE
  • - https://www.linseedling.com

    About me
    Lindsey Leigh is an illustrator and designer based in Somerville, Massachusetts. Her work is inspired by science, mysteries, and all the weird wonders of the natural world.

    She also has an encyclopedic knowledge of weird animal facts and a passionate love for snails and slugs.

    For publishing inquiries, please reach out to literary agent Janna Morishima: janna@jannaco.co

    For all other inquiries, feel free to reach out at:

    lindseyannleigh@gmail.com

  • School Library Journal - https://afuse8production.slj.com/2023/06/29/guest-post-featuring-lindsey-leigh-author-and-illustrator-of-the-deep/

    Guest Post: Featuring Lindsey Leigh, Author and Illustrator of THE DEEP!
    June 29, 2023 by Betsy Bird Leave a Comment

    Oh, I’m so very very excited today! If you know me then you know there’s a spot in my heart for the wonderful nonfiction titles we’re seeing coming out every year. And speaking of which, have you ever seen this beautiful baby before?

    Gorgeous, right? So it is my true and distinct pleasure to announce that its creator, Lindsey Leigh, will be providing today’s guest post.

    Enjoy!

    Writing and illustrating this book was a bit like taking a deep dive into the ocean on a voyage of discovery. Though at times it could be daunting, the process was primarily filled with excitement and enthusiasm for this mysterious region of our planet.

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    Lindsey Leigh
    I have been fascinated by the deep ocean since I was a child because it is a place that seemed so full of mystery with many animals still to discover. The creatures that lived down there are so downright alien and strange, I was hooked. I have always had a soft spot for animals that other people consider a little odd or creepy, and the deep sea has no shortage of wonderful weirdos. How could I resist making a book about a place that has carnivorous sponges and yeti crabs?

    These animals all look so bizarre because they are perfectly adapted to living life in such a dark, cold, and harsh place. Some, like the Giant Larvacean and Pigbutt Worm, cast out mucus nets to catch and eat marine snow (a whimsical term for the little particles of dead animal matter and poop that floats down from the surface). Others, like the Barreleye fish, have huge eyes to capture as much light as possible in the dark blue waters before the light vanishes altogether as you dive deeper. Many animals are quite small, like the ping-pong ball sized Giant Ostracod, and some are huge, like the sea serpent-like Oarfish and the Megamouth Shark. While I was writing the book, I felt as if the animals revealed their varied personalities to me quite easily and the jokes almost wrote themselves!

    It was a joy to read and research information about these animals, though because so little is known about these creatures, I had to be careful to scrutinize all the information I was reading. For example, for the Pram Bug, it’s often reported in pop science articles that the animal was the inspiration for the artist H.R. Giger’s design of the xenomorph in the classic sci-fi horror film Alien, which would be a cool fact to add, but sadly if you dig deeper than the surface, there is no solid proof to back that up at all. (As I’m a huge fan of horror movies, you’ll notice that throughout the book that I have modeled some of the lettering on old horror movie posters!)

    Because so little is known about the deep sea, I occasionally ran into questions that I couldn’t answer with my research alone when the time came to illustrate the book. What color is vampire squid mucus? What does the process of carnivorous sponge digestion look like? What exactly does swimming sea cucumber poop look like? I reached out directly to scientists to answer these questions and they were all very happy to share their scientific papers with me and answer my absurd yet earnest questions!

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    This book was created for my younger self who loved memorizing animal facts and pouring over every fun animal encyclopedia I could get my hands on. I also loved comics as a child, as most kids do, and I fell in love with comics as a form of expression when I was in high school and college. I feel very strongly about using comics as to communicate complicated scientific ideas, primarily because of the accessibility of the medium. I’ve worked with some scientists to create comics based on their scientific papers (which, while very fascinated, can be dense and difficult to understand for the average reader). I really enjoy trying to find funny comparisons or goofy jokes to make while communicating the idea, because I think humor is such a great tool for learning and helping to retain information.

    I feel as though this book is proof that if someone is interested in both art and science and feels torn between two worlds, there’s a way to unify both of those passions. I was always interested in biology and science as a kid, but when I started to feel very passionately about art and illustration in high school, I wasn’t sure I would be able to follow both of my interests. I studied illustration, but always kept my interest in the natural world alive and incorporated it into many of my school projects. Joining the Guild of Natural Science Illustrators and interning at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (where I painted flea beetles in the Entomology department) also reinforced that there was room for both disciplines in my life.

    There are so many commonalities between art and science and there are numerous ways to explore both. I truly feel that both fields don’t have to be so separate and can exist in harmony. I’m thrilled I get to share this planet with animals like sea pigs and vampire squid and equally excited that I can use my art skills to share information about the weird and wonderful world around us with the next generation of young animal enthusiasts!

    Thank you, Lindsey! I’ll never think about sea cucumber poop the same way again. Thanks too to Jenna Smith and the folks at Penguin Young Readers for suggesting this post. The Deep is on shelves everywhere so go on out and find yourself a copy. It’s a funny, fantastic ride.

  • School Library Journal - https://teenlibrariantoolbox.com/2024/08/15/exploring-unique-creatures-of-the-deep-and-the-dark-a-guest-post-by-lindsey-leigh/

    Exploring Unique Creatures of the Deep and the Dark! A guest post by Lindsey Leigh
    August 15, 2024 by Amanda MacGregor Leave a Comment

    In my books, I love to focus on unusual animals. In my first book, The Deep! Wild Life at the Ocean’s Darkest Depths, I focused on the wonderful weirdos that inhabit the deep sea, and in my newest book, The Dark! Wild Life in the Mysterious World of Caves, we explore the strange creatures that live in the isolated reaches of the cave. If you’re as passionate as me when it comes to odd animals, you’re in for a treat when it comes to cave creatures. There are olms, which are long, eyeless cave salamanders that can live for up to a hundred years, oilbirds which are one of the few cave-dwelling birds that can echolocate like a bat, and mysterious white leeches that live in freezing cold water at the bottom of a cave, just to name a few.

    Cave animals that live full time in the cave must be specially adapted to live in a place that has no sunlight and often very little food. These special adaptations include slow movement to conserve energy, a loss of eyes as there is no need for them in the dark cave, and since vision is often reduced the animals in the cave have longer limbs and rely on their sense of touch to get around.

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    Click on book images to enlarge.
    Cave animals are organized into three different groups according to how much time they spend in the cave. They’re organized into The Three T’s: troglobites, troglophiles, and trogloxenes. Troglobites are permanent cave residents that are specially adapted to living there and wouldn’t be able to survive outside of the cave. Troglophiles are part-time cave residents that are well adapted to the cave and prefer to live there, but they can also leave to find food if needed. And trogloxenes are cave visitors that pop in and out and only live in the cave at certain times.

    As I wrote The Dark!, I noticed many similarities between the deep sea and the cave ecosystem. Deep sea animals also have a lack of pigment, loss of eyes, and reliance on other senses because they live in a world of darkness as well.

    In both the cave and the deep sea, the sun isn’t present to create food so animals must rely on other methods to get a meal. Animals in the deep sea eat marine snow, which are bits of dead animals and poop that float from upper ocean layers down to the deep. In the cave, some animals rely on bats and crickets to leave their guano (another word for poop) behind for them to eat. I learned that both environments revolve around poop!

    Animals in both environments also survive thanks to microscopic bacteria. In the deep sea, communities of life spring up around boiling hydrothermal vents because of the presence of bacteria there. Bacteria in the cave don’t need sunlight to grow and instead they feed on the minerals that are found in caves. In Movile Cave in Romania, bacteria created an entire ecosystem! The cave was isolated from the world for millions of years until it was accidently discovered by miners in 1986. They were surprised to discover a cave full of bacteria growing there, and an assortment of other animals like cave leeches, water scorpions, and woodlice. The bacteria in the cave eat the methane and sulfur found in the cave and the animals in turn eat the bacteria.

    Many of the animals that live in the cave are what some would consider a little freaky looking! My personal philosophy is that there are plenty of cuddly and charismatic animals that are universally loved, and people wouldn’t think twice about supporting their conservation efforts. But there are plenty of lesser known, perhaps less visually gifted animals that deserve our attention and support as well. As such, I always like to give special attention to the creepy crawlies, and I tried in this book to make them funny and appealing. For example, a creature like the whip spider can look so frightening to humans on the surface, but I wanted to highlight the fact that whip spider mothers will take care of their young and even caress them with her feelers!

    In regards to my creative process for these books, I start by reading books and scientific papers on the subject, then I try to break down the ideas into simple concepts and images that will be understandable for all age groups. I also find humor is a great way to communicate ideas for young readers and I hope that the jokes in the book make the facts fun and memorable. For example, as I was reading the paper on how whip spiders that live in caves are much less aggressive than those that live outside of caves, I imagined cave whip spiders acting like proper gentlemen with top hats and being excessively polite when they bumped into each other, which made it into the finished book!

    Select research materials for The Dark!: Cave Life: Evolution and Ecology by David C. Culver and Life in the Dark by Danté Fenolio
    Even though many of these cave ecosystems have survived for many years, they are very sensitive and vulnerable to different threats from the outside world. Caves are so delicate that too many tourists visiting can alter the sensitive humidity level of the cave and also disturb animals that live there. Pollution (like sewage, accidental spills, and industrial chemicals) also can easily seep through into the cave and pollute aquifer water, which is bad news for animals and people that rely on that important water source.

    Panther Cave: a local cave in Middlesex Fells, Medford, Massachusetts
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    Sure, cave animals are a little strange, but like all animals on this planet, they’re worth admiring and protecting. Caves are one of the most fragile ecosystems on earth and they hold so many treasures of scientific discovery and mysteries to unravel. These places have survived for millions of years and hopefully they’ll survive for millions more. I hope this book sheds some light on the strange and wonderful animals you might find in the darkest reaches of caves!

    Meet the author

    Lindsey Leigh grew up in the Washington, D.C. area, fascinated by the Smithsonian museums and the Baltimore Aquarium. Her passion for communicating scientific ideas eventually led her to join the Guild of Natural Scientific Illustrators. She has since completed a Scientific Illustration internship with the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and has created educational comics for the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Georgia Tech, and the magazine BBC Focus. She is the author of The Deep! (Penguin Workshop).

    Instagram: @linseedling

    X: @linseedling

    About The Dark!: Wild Life in the Mysterious World of Caves

    Crawl into the deepest corners of caves across the world and learn about the wonderfully weird creatures that live their lives in the dark!

    Did you know that some creatures that live in the dark have adapted to have no eyes? Or that some dark dwellers have extra long antennae so they can feel their way around their homes? Have you ever seen a troglobite? There many different types of troglobites including the fearless waterfall-climbing cave fish, the mutant Mexican tetra, and the mystifying olm.

  • Annie's Book Stop of Worcester - https://anniesbookstopworcester.blog/2024/09/13/author-spotlight-friday-lindsey-leigh/

    AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT FRIDAY – LINDSEY LEIGH
    anniesbookstopworcester

    no comments

    September 13, 2024

    Annie’s Book Stop of Worcester is happy to shine our Friday Author Spotlight on Graphic Novelist Lindsey Leigh. Lindsey, could you please tell us briefly a little about yourself and your writing? How would you like us to introduce you?

    I’m Lindsey Leigh, an author and illustrator currently based in Somerville, MA. I create graphic nonfiction books to introduce kids to the world of weird and wonderful animals.

    Where can people find your work? (Besides Annie’s Book Stop of Worcester–though they should totally check here first!)

    I encourage readers to check out my books at their local indie bookstores and their local libraries! They can also be ordered here:

    The Dark!: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/730791/the-dark-by-lindsey-leigh-illustrated-by-lindsey-leigh/9780593662595/

    The Deep!: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/709331/the-deep-by-lindsey-leigh-illustrated-by-lindsey-leigh/

    How can we follow your work and share your awesomeness?

    My website is linseedling.com, and my Instagram handle is @linseedling.

    For readers unfamiliar with your work, how would you describe what you write? What can readers expect from The Dark! Wild Life in the Mysterious World of Caves?

    I write and illustrate books for middle grade readers (ages nine to twelve) but I’m hoping they appeal to all ages! My books are about unusual animals that live in unsuspecting places such as the deep sea and caves. My books use comic book elements like panels and speech bubbles to give each of the animals unique personalities and perspectives.

    My new release is The Dark! Wild Life in the Mysterious World of Caves, and if you’re as passionate as me when it comes to odd animals, you’re in for a treat when it comes to cave creatures. There are olms, which are long, eyeless cave salamanders that can live for up to a hundred years, oilbirds which are one of the few cave-dwelling birds that can echolocate like a bat, and mysterious white leeches that live in freezing cold water at the bottom of a cave, just to name a few. I hope that The Dark! helps readers learn about these rare and often fragile ecosystems where there are so many scientific discoveries yet to be made!

    What kind of research went into writing this book? What is your favorite research story? What cool facts and findings didn’t make it into the book, but you loved discovering?

    To start my research, I begin by reading books and scientific papers on the subject, then I try to break down the ideas into simple concepts and images that will be understandable for all age groups. I also find humor is a great way to communicate ideas for young readers and I hope that the jokes in the book make the facts fun and memorable. For example, as I was reading the paper on how whip spiders that live in caves are much less aggressive than those that live outside of caves, I imagined cave whip spiders acting like proper gentlemen with top hats and being excessively polite when they bumped into each other, which made it into the finished book!

    One interesting animal I learned about that had to be cut for space was the Blind Cave Eel, which lives in Australian caves. Unfortunately, like with many cave animals, they are so rare and little studied that there wasn’t enough information to give them a full spread in the book.

    What draws you to the particular genre or style that you write? What do you think draws readers to these kinds of books?

    I love working with graphic nonfiction comics because I think they’re such an accessible and fun way to communicate sometimes difficult science concepts to people of all ages. Breaking down concepts visually is very helpful for comprehension, and I also enjoy adding a hefty dose of humor to my work.

    What else can we expect from you in the near future?

    I’m currently working on a new book called The Dirt! Wild Life under the Soil’s Surface, which is all about the critters that live in the underground world under our feet, whether that be tiny soil microbes that are essential to the health of the forest, or bigger burrowing creatures like moles and badgers. Like the deep sea and the cave ecosystem, the soil ecosystem is also mysterious and full of unusual animals.

    Thanks so much, Lindsey, for answering our questions, and good luck with The Dark!

* The Dark! Wild Life in the Mysterious World of Caves. By Lindsey Leigh. Illus. by the author. July 2024. 96p. Penguin Workshop, $15.99 (9780593662595). Gr. 3-6. 551.44.

In this droll but scientifically rigorous expedition into the depths, Leigh introduces dozens of creatures representing the "Three Ts" of cave dwellers: troglobites, or permanent residents; troglophiles, who venture out occasionally; and trogloxenes like bats, who just visit. The book covers everything from bacteria that clings in sheets to rock walls "like giant globs of snot!" to bugs, fish, salamanders, birds, early humans, and (believe it or not) elephants. Readers will note that a surprising number of these are found in just one locale in the world and, often, in unique ecosystems, so the author's warning that many are threatened by habitat destruction or climate change will come as no surprise. To fill in the background, she discusses types of caves in land, sea, and ice and the processes that form them; highlights distinctive mineral structures, from stalactites to cave flowers and pearls; and lists notable cave systems worldwide. In her cartoon illustrations, the pale, eyeless olm (which looks like an axolotl, she writes, but has a "longer, noodlier body") and other residents with "weirder and weirder" adaptations comment in dialogue balloons: "I have legs for days!" boasts a centipede; "They got my nose just right!" comments a feline art critic admiring a cave painting. It's enough to turn young audiences into trogloxenes themselves. --John Peters

Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
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Peters, John. "The Dark! Wild Life in the Mysterious World of Caves." Booklist, vol. 120, no. 18, 18 May 2024, p. 38. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A804017495/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=b3caa6b9. Accessed 10 Nov. 2024.

LEIGH, Lindsey. The Dark!: Wild Life in the Mysterious World of Caves. illus. by Lindsey Leigh. 96p. Penguin Workshop. Jul. 2024. Tr $15.99. ISBN 9780593662595.

Gr 3-7--Strap on your headlamp and dive into The Dark to learn about caves and the animals that live in them. With a clear introduction of what a cave is, this well-organized, nonfiction comic book digs into the types of animals that call caves home, full- and part-time. Creepy crawlies that kids love are explored, including threatened and endangered species such as salamanders, various fish, bats, and all sorts of insects--even humans are covered! The author illuminates various animal adaptations in interesting ways that will capture readers' attentions. Also highlighted are unique caves of the world, the importance of caves to humans throughout history, and cave conservation. The author did a wonderful job creating eye-catching, clear cartoon illustrations with text placed thoughtfully on the page to highlight the fascinating animals. Pronunciation guides and definitions throughout clarify new ideas and vocabulary. Animals are given quirky personalities with conversation bubbles, adding humor to keep readers interested. VERDICT With its compelling layout and interesting facts, this is an engaging book. --Melisa Bailey

KEY: * Excellent in relation to other titles on the same subject or in the same genre | Tr Hardcover trade binding | Board Board book | pap. Paperback | BL Bilingual | SP Spanish

Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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Bailey, Melisa. "LEIGH, Lindsey. The Dark!: Wild Life in the Mysterious World of Caves." School Library Journal, vol. 70, no. 7, July 2024, p. 77. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A806586564/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=5e09ceb4. Accessed 10 Nov. 2024.

Leigh, Lindsey THE DARK! Penguin Workshop (Children's None) $15.99 7, 9 ISBN: 9780593662595

Leigh follows up The Deep! (2023)--a dive into undersea life--with a celebration of cave-dwelling creatures.

This work of graphic nonfiction starts with a brief, easily digestible introduction to caves before moving on to its true focus: the animal inhabitants. The longest section is devoted to the troglobites, full-time cave dwellers that have adapted to a life of total darkness; other sections cover the troglophiles, which spend at least part of their life cycles in caves, and the trogloxenes, such as bats and bears, that just show up for visits. Double-page spreads explore selected cave animals, offering fascinating tidbits--such as the difference between an olm and an axolotl--sure to tempt youngsters into learning more about their favorite critters. Leigh's strong sense of humor is on display throughout, from plainly stated facts about animals' bodily excretions to moments where the creatures--occasionally anthropomorphized but always accurately depicted--offer quirky commentary through speech bubbles. Although she occasionally mentions how these creatures can benefit people (for instance, studying the Mexican tetra, a fish with high blood sugar, might help us treat diabetes), for the most part, she encourages readers to love these places and species for their own sake. Final sections spotlight cool caves around the world (like Vietnam's Son Doong cave, which is so big that it contains a rainforest in it), humanity's own history with caves, and the dangers humans pose to such environments.

As factually grounded as it is irresistibly fun. (index) (Graphic nonfiction. 8-12)

Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Leigh, Lindsey: THE DARK!" Kirkus Reviews, 15 June 2024, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A797463057/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=3a0b010d. Accessed 10 Nov. 2024.

Sick! The Twists and Turns behind Animal Germs. By Heather L. Montgomery. Illus. by Lindsey Leigh. Feb. 2024. 144p. Bloomsbury, $19.99 (9781547609857). Gr. 4-6. 616.07.

Rejecting the notion that the study of cell biology need ever be dull, Montgomery personifies the pathogens and parasites that parade through this alliterative and mind-expanding overview of how wild animals have evolved ways of resisting--or learned to live with--disease organisms. From chimps observed self-medicating intestinal worm infections by eating certain leaves to "Victor Vulture's" mysterious immunity to "Presley Perfringens" and every other member of the often-deadly bacterial Clostridium clan, her examples not only offer exhilarating case studies of science and of the scientists she interviews in action but also make a convincing argument for thinking about our relationship with our teeming microbial neighbors less as a war of extermination than a give and take with potential benefits for both sides. Some readers may wish their school was like the one in Brussels where students found a previously unknown antibody in a vat of camel's blood in their supply closet; all will come away with better understanding of our complex biosphere and of how Netty Neutrophil and other components of living creatures' innate and acquired immune systems work together. --John Peters

Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2024 American Library Association
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Peters, John. "Sick! The Twists and Turns behind Animal Germs." Booklist, vol. 120, no. 9-10, 1 Jan. 2024, p. 53. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A780973475/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=ce242a83. Accessed 10 Nov. 2024.

Montgomery, Heather L. SICK! Bloomsbury (Children's None) $19.99 2, 20 ISBN: 9781547609857

How do germs make animals--and people--sick, and what defenses do bodies have?

With this kid-friendly introduction to immune systems and the enemies they battle, Montgomery adds to an impressively entertaining body of work. Organized around different animals, the chapters follow scientists noticing odd happenings in the face of infection--or animals avoiding expected infection entirely. Montgomery highlights the questions these scientists ask: What's the connection between frog temperature and infection survival? Why do ants kill infected pupae? How do injured gators survive their bacteria-heavy environment and vultures their contaminated food? The author traces the scientists' logic as they test various hypotheses; she then demonstrates how we can learn from these findings to devise new strategies to help people. Keeping her tone conversational, occasionally relying on anthropomorphizing, and framing her stories as mysteries, Montgomery makes even the most complex concepts concrete and digestible--young readers won't just understand the microbiology at play; they'll enjoy the subject, too. Illustrations throughout also enhance clarity as well as (especially in short comic panels) keeping the book fun. Gross facts ("Chimps pee and poop right off the sides of their daybeds!") are just the cherry on top of this book that brims with child appeal. Final art not seen.

A pathologically good time. (more super symbionts, selected sources, illustration credits, index) (Nonfiction. 10-adult)

Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Montgomery, Heather L.: SICK!" Kirkus Reviews, 1 Dec. 2023, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A774415053/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=09c9ba6d. Accessed 10 Nov. 2024.

Leigh, Lindsey THE DEEP! Penguin Workshop (Children's None) $15.99 6, 27 ISBN: 9780593521687

Meet our aquatic neighbors, from sperm whales and vampire squid ("Velcome!") to pigbutt worms.

"Well, hi there!" burbles a toothy deep-sea hatchetfish, swimming up to invite viewers on an unforgettable dive into ocean depths from the sunny epipelagic zone down to really deep, really dark hadalpelagic regions. Wonders aplenty await, from creatures with transparent heads and stomachs to sea angels, which change from male to female as they grow, carnivorous sponges, and siphonophores longer than blue whales. The author stoutly defends the reputations of the much maligned blobfish ("Blobfish? No, Blob Sculpin!") and demonstrates a sure sense of theater with, for instance, a "Supersize Squid Showdown," not to mention nods to the aforementioned pigbutt worm ("It's not every day you see flying buttocks soaring through the seas!") and the giant larvacean's "magnificent snot palace." In pursuit of a friendly vibe, Leigh puts smiles on the faces of creatures that have them (faces, that is) but otherwise draws her teeming wildlife in accurate detail. She also fills much of the open spaces in her mix of broad seascapes and inset panels with informative commentary and supplements the tour with closer looks at microenvironments such as hydrothermal vents and deadly undersea brine pools ("jacuzzi of despair!") as well as special topics such as the continual descent of nutritious corpses and poop known as "marine snow." She ends with further resources and eco-activities for readers who share her patent enthusiasm for denizens of the deep.

A broad and buoyant undersea venture. (index) (Graphic nonfiction. 10-13)

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"Leigh, Lindsey: THE DEEP!" Kirkus Reviews, 15 Apr. 2023, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A745234799/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=31fd682f. Accessed 10 Nov. 2024.

Peters, John. "The Dark! Wild Life in the Mysterious World of Caves." Booklist, vol. 120, no. 18, 18 May 2024, p. 38. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A804017495/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=b3caa6b9. Accessed 10 Nov. 2024. Bailey, Melisa. "LEIGH, Lindsey. The Dark!: Wild Life in the Mysterious World of Caves." School Library Journal, vol. 70, no. 7, July 2024, p. 77. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A806586564/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=5e09ceb4. Accessed 10 Nov. 2024. "Leigh, Lindsey: THE DARK!" Kirkus Reviews, 15 June 2024, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A797463057/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=3a0b010d. Accessed 10 Nov. 2024. Peters, John. "Sick! The Twists and Turns behind Animal Germs." Booklist, vol. 120, no. 9-10, 1 Jan. 2024, p. 53. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A780973475/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=ce242a83. Accessed 10 Nov. 2024. "Montgomery, Heather L.: SICK!" Kirkus Reviews, 1 Dec. 2023, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A774415053/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=09c9ba6d. Accessed 10 Nov. 2024. "Leigh, Lindsey: THE DEEP!" Kirkus Reviews, 15 Apr. 2023, p. NA. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A745234799/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=31fd682f. Accessed 10 Nov. 2024.