To begin with, there are the amazing endpapers, in which artist Beckie Prange has condensed 4.6 billion years of earth’s history into a visual timeline using 46 meters of string laid out in tight arcs and whorls, with different colors representing different geologic eras. Each of the subjects that follow in this extraordinary collection that is both poetry and natural history are placed on the timeline at the point they first appeared on the earth. And what do bacteria, mollusks, lichens, beetles, grasses, ants, sharks, squirrels, dandelions, humans and the other living things profiled in this volume all have in common? They are survivors, displaying resilience and the ability to thrive. In finely crafted poems that reflect a variety of forms, Joyce Sidman invites readers to contemplate these natural wonders with appreciation, curiosity, and good humor. Brief biological information about each subject is provided in an accompanying factual narrative, and Prange’s hand-colored linocut illustrations are both beautiful and informative. (Ages 9–13)

From the creators of the Caldecott Honor Book Song of the Water Boatman and Other Pond Poems comes a celebration of ubiquitous life forms among us. Newbery Honor-winning poet Joyce Sidman presents another unusual blend of fine poetry and fascinating science illustrated in exquisite hand-colored linocuts by Caldecott Honor artist Beckie Prange.

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?