Budding Biologist: A children's book series
Giraffes do not live in rainforests, despite what Fisher Price would like us to believe. Frogs and snails are not bugs, despite what you may have read in books like “Hello, Bugs” published by Tiger Tails. These examples are just a few of the gross errors in everyday children’s books. These common inaccuracies promote biological misconceptions, which persist through adulthood. “Budding Biologist” is a series of fun, biologically accurate, children’s flip-up books aimed to correct these misconceptions. Why promote misunderstandings when the truth is just as interesting? As parents demand better learning materials for their children, such as the Baby Einstein series, they are yearning for fun and accurate reading material for their babies, toddlers and young children. However, there is a lack of such biologically focused reading material available on the market.
Each book in the Budding Biologist series -- What is an insect?, Where is my home?, What is a tree? and Am I a mammal? – is a 10 page book that starts by asking a biologically relevant question (i.e. “Is a lady beetle an insect?”). A colorful picture of the organism appears on the top of a flip-up tab. When the reader flips up the tab, the answer appears with a drawing of the animal in that habitat and a fun fact (i.e. “Yes! A ladybeetle is an insect. All insects have 6 legs.”). Each correct answer is paired with an incorrect answer and activity (i.e. “Is a spider an insect?”; “No. A spider is not an insect. A spider has more than six legs. Can you count how many?”). Each of the books in this series will be entertaining, factual and accessible with beautiful artwork that will draw in readers from all ages while they learn the fun facts of the world of biology. An example pair of pages from What is an insect? are posted here if you scroll to the right.
Kristine Calliis-Duehl is a PhD candidate at the University of Florida in the Department of Biology. Kristine has been published in the academic literature for both her research in plant-insect interactions and for science education. Katy Castronovo has a degree in fine arts from the University of Ohio and uses various media formats such as carving, painting and photography in her artwork. We both have 1 yr old toddlers and are extremely disappointed in the biological inaccuracies of children’s books. With informal surveys in mother-support and baby-play groups, we have found that there is a wide market for Budding Biologist. Please note, that we are actively trying to find a home for our series and are therefore submitting to 3 agents and/or publishers at a time. However, we will happily become exclusive when we find an agent or publisher interested in our books.
PLEASE SCROLL RIGHT -----> to see 2 example pages from Budding Biologist: What is an Insect?
