Something Wonderful

Winner of the 2021 NATIONAL OUTDOOR BOOK AWARD in CHILDREN'S LITERATURE

Winner of the 2021 NEXT GENERATION INDIE BOOK AWARD in CHILDREN'S EDUCATIONAL PICTURE BOOK and CHILDREN'S PICTURE BOOK, NON-FICTION

This educational and interactive picture book immerses the reader in the strange and interwoven lifecycles of a tropical fig tree in the rainforest, and the tiny insects and colorful creatures that call it home. Following the growth of a seed dropped into the canopy of a rainforest tree by a flying toucan, Something Wonderful teaches the interdependence of rainforest ecology in an easy-to-follow, captivating story. Flip the beautifully illustrated pages and experience the journey of the fig seedling making roots and leaves, growing strong, eventually replacing the giant tree that was its host, making figs, attracting pollinators, and developing its life-giving seeds.

Something Wonderful happens next. The delectable fig fruit is hungrily eaten by a passing toucan who, upon flight, aimlessly drops a seed from its poop into the treetops below, beginning the fig's lifecycle once again. Discover additional scientific information about the pollination process, insects, and animals found in the story in an illustrated section at the end of the book. Readers can play a "seek and find" game of locating the elusive red-eyed tree frog on each page of the story. Take a journey, from the tiny to the grand, while making your way through the tropical rainforest on the path to uncover Something Wonderful...

"It's as if one is watching a documentary narrated by English nature historian David Attenborough...A gorgeous-looking lesson that will satisfy kids and parents alike."
-- Kirkus Reviews

"A great choice for classroom units on life cycles, symbiosis, and rain forest ecosystems."
--Booklist

Dr. Matt Ritter, who has an infectious love of trees and all things botanical, is an award winning biology professor at California Polytechnic State University and the author of several nonfiction and fiction books.

Illustrator Nayl Gonzalez is a graduate of California Polytechnic State University with a degree in Forestry and Natural Resources. Her love for living things is expressed through her passion for art.