Book Review and Interview: Bees, Snails and Peacock Tails: Patterns and Shapes...Naturally

Bees, Snails, & Peacock Tails: Patterns & Shapes… Naturally
Written by Betsy Franco and illustrated by Steve Jenkins
Ages 4-8, 40 pages
Margaret K. McElderry, 2008

Nature is full of wonders… including shapes! In an ingenious collaboration of science and geometry, Franco’s poems offer delightful observations of hidden shapes and unexpected patterns found everywhere in nature. Readers may already know that some snakes shed their skins, but have they ever noticed the diamond and triangle shapes on the copperhead snake’s back? Yes, bees produce honey—but that’s not all. These "mathematical geniuses" work together and construct hundreds of hexagon-shaped cubbies. With simple rhymes and rich metaphors, Franco invites readers to appreciate the spiral shape gracing the snail’s shell, the "V" shaped wedge formed by migrating birds, the artful web designs spun by spiders, and the delicate footprint patterns in the snow created by a mouse.

Jenkins, a Caldecott Honor medalist, used cut-paper collages to create a three dimensional illusion for each spread. Arresting color combinations add further pizzazz and eye-appeal. This gem of a book is both an audible and visual treat; it will very likely motivate junior scientists to look at nature with a more observant eye and search for hidden shapes in the world around them.

This review was written by 'wild' writer Heidi Bee Roemer.

'Wild" writer Laura Crawford was also able to interview author, Betsy Franco.

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF.

I have written over 80 books, non-fiction, poetry, picture books, and young adult novels, and I anthologize teenage writing. I have three creative sons who inspire me (two actor-writers and a sculptor-illustrator) and a very supportive husband. I walk to an elementary school every morning to observe, and I frequently visit the local high school. My cats, Frida and Jada, are my muses. See www.betsyfranco.com for more information.

WHERE DO YOUR IDEAS FOR NONFICTION COME FROM?

I get a lot of ideas from observation. I just collect snippets of ideas, write them down, and put them into folders. After a while, I have enough to make a book. Then I start writing the poems.

WHAT DO YOU CONSIDER THE HARDEST PART ABOUT WRITING?

I love to write so it doesn't seem hard to me. Letting go of a story when it's ready to go to the editor is a little tough.

WHAT IS THE STRANGEST FACT YOU HAVE LEARNED?

I've learned a lot of strange facts. I guess I didn't know that the bullfrogs ate the red-legged frogs that were immortalized in Mark Twain's story The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County. They ate so many, the red-legged frog is now threatened.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR LATEST WORK.

Pond Circle which comes out in June 2009 is about the food chain at a pond. It took me about 10 years to find the format that would make the food chain seem beautiful.

Thank you for your time, Betsy. We look forward to reading Pond Circle later this year!

This post is part of the Nonfiction Monday round-up posted at The Reading Tub.