Sophia Spencer has loved bugs ever since a butterfly landed on her shoulder--and wouldn't leave!--at a butterfly conservancy when she was only two-and-a-half years old. In preschool and kindergarten, Sophia was thrilled to share what she knew about grasshoppers (her very favorite insects), as well as ants and fireflies... but by first grade, not everyone shared her enthusiasm. Some students bullied her, and Sophia stopped talking about bugs altogether. When Sophia's mother wrote to an entomological society looking for a bug scientist to be a pen pal for her daughter, she and Sophie were overwhelmed by the enthusiastic response--letters, photos, and videos came flooding in. Using the hashtag BugsR4Girls, scientists tweeted hundreds of times to tell Sophia to keep up her interest in bugs--and it worked! Sophia has since appeared on Good Morning America, The Today Show, and NPR, and she continues to share her love of bugs with others.
“McNamara’s skillful text centers Spencer’s voice, while Kerascoët’s loose ink, colored pencil, and watercolor illustrations render winning details with emotional sensitivity.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Coauthored by fourthgrader Spencer, this memoir captures both the personal exhilaration of sharing a passion and the crushing disappointment when others misunderstand or belittle that devotion.” —Booklist
“Inspirational for young naturalists.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Whether preaching to a bug-loving choir, promoting respect for others’ passions, or investigating a path toward middle-grade fame, this title will satisfy many audiences.” —The Bulletin
“This book has a great message for children to stick with what they love, regardless of what others may think.” —Resource Links
"This book affected me so strongly — the first in 2020 to end up clutched to my chest." —Sudbury Star
In addition to being passionate about bugs and all living creatures, Sophia Spencer loves climbing trees and exploring the world of math and science. She lives in Canada and is in the 4th grade. The MagicTree House series are currently her favorite books.
Margaret McNamara is the author of The Mr. Tiffin Classroom series including, The Dinosaur Expert, A Poem in Your Pocket, The Apple Orchard Riddle, and How Many Seeds in a Pumpkin?. She is also the author of Eliza, The Story of Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton called lovely, in a starred review from Booklist. Ms. McNamara lives in New York City. Visit her on the Web at margaretmcnamara.net.
Kerascoët, a husband-and-wife team, are the illustrators of the picture book, I Walk with Vanessa which received three starred reviews and was named The Best Picture Book of 2018 that Champions Kindness by Parents Magazine. They are also the illustrators of Malala's Magic Pencil by Malala Yousafzai which was highly acclaimed and a New York Times bestseller. Visit them at kerascoet.fr.
Target Age: 4-8
Schwartz & Wade Books
Pub Date: February 11, 2020
44 pages
hardcover