Science Fun With Maris Wicks

Anyone who thinks science is boring has never met Maris Wicks. A self-described "gigantic nerd," Maris combines science and comics in a way that makes things like marine science just irresistible reading, even for those who think they aren't interested in science. Maris also is a fabulous presenter, which is not surprising given her years putting on programs for kids as an educator with the New England Aquarium.

Maris recently visited my library during a book tour for her newest science comic, Coral Reefs: Cities of the Ocean. In the book, Maris uses a gobie fish narrator to engagingly teach readers things like that fact that a coral actually is an animal, not a plant. The bright colors, clean lines, and cartoon style of Maris' illustrations, plus the text's ever-present humor, make it incredibly fun to learn all the information she presents. Maris herself is full of energetic high spirits, as she demonstrated as she taught us a dance about the water cycle. Her enthusiasm for science is both inspiring and contagious.

In our library program, Maris also talked her first two books, Primates: The Fearless Science of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Birute Galdikas, and Human Body Theater. In giving us a glimpse into the basic biology highlighted in Human Body Theater, Maris taught us another dance and song, which had these words: "Eating up the Co2222222, and farting out the oxy...gen....." Of course, the kids loved it.

Maris then did a bit of live drawing, asking kids for some of their favorite denizens of the deep and then drawing them on the spot. Things got wild as she drew a narwhal -- which has at least one and sometimes two horns that are actually teeth-- coming face-to-face with a unicorn.

The kids got so excited by it all that they also wanted to do some drawing, and we quickly supplied them with pencils and paper.

The program concluded with Maris not just signing books but drawing a personalized illustration in each one. This took time, but kids were more than willing to wait, and in fact, they really loved watching her draw.

Creating science comics and making presentations about them seems to be a perfect mix for Maris, who majored in illustration at the Rhode Island School of Design before embarking on her career as a science educator. Over the years that she worked in education, Maris continued to draw and create comics, both for the Aquarium, and for places like Spongebob Comics, Marvel Comics, and DC Comics. Her work caught the eye of the folks at First Second Books, the renowned graphic novel imprint of Macmillan, who chose her to illustrate Primates, which was written by Jim Ottaviani. That launched her career in a big way, as Ottaviani is well-known for his graphic novels on science and scientists. These days, Maris focuses full-time on creating science comics -- and giving wonderfully fun and inspiring presentations.

Maris drew Jane Goodall riding a whale shark for Alison Morris.

END NOTES: Thanks to Maris Wicks for opening my eyes to how fun science can be! Thanks to publicist extraordinaire Gina Gagliano of First Second Books/Macmillan, for working out all the program details and sending a review copy of Coral Reefs. Thanks also to Politics & Prose for booking Maris at my library. Thanks to Maurice Belanger for taking such great photos, and to Alison Morris for her great tweets about the event.

It's a "Dog and Bear" Halloween

Halloween-themed picture books aren't necessarily some of the best kids' books out there. Too often, they tend to be more workman-like than inspired. That's why it's such a thrill to see two-time Caldecott Honor author/illustrator Laura Vaccaro Seeger publish Dog and Bear: Tricks and Treats (Roaring Brook, $14.99).

This isn't your run-of-the-mill Halloween book. Instead, it's a real treat of a book with a perfectly-paced comic text and black lined, bold-colored illustrations that further amplify the humor. This is Seeger's fourth book about Dog and Bear and the tight, if not always smooth, friendship between them -- mirroring the friendships of their preschool readers.

As is traditional in the Dog and Bear books, Seeger divides Dog and Bear: Tricks and Treats into three separate stories, something that makes them great for young readers longing to read "chapter books." The stories are short and snappy, with minimal text that still manages to be quite funny. Combined with Seeger's cheerful illustrations and her mastery of the "drama of the page turn," the stories in Dog and Bear: Tricks and Treats offer a memorable twist on the typical Halloween topics of costumes and candy.

In the first story, Dog and Bear are in a store trying on costumes when Bear glimpses himself in the changing room mirror and thinks he's seeing another bear He quickly calls to Dog to come and see for himself; Dog is duly amazed to see the Bear who "has a friend who looks EXACTLY like me!" Of course, young readers will love to laugh at such silliness -- they, of course, know it's just a mirror.

The second story tells of Dog's unusual way of dealing with trick-and-treaters, which preschoolers will figure out right away from the illustrations and find just hilarious. In the final tale, Dog and Bear are denied treats at one house because they aren't wearing costumes, but just look like themselves. But Seeger has a surprise up her sleeve, which will leave her readers hooting with laughter as they close the pages of the book.

If you're not familiar with the Dog and Bear, this new one is a fine place to start. But be sure to read the others as well: Dog and Bear: Two Friends, Three Stories; Dog and Bear: Three to Get Ready; and Dog and Bear: Two's Company. Meanwhile, try out some of these fun activities connected to the newest Dog and Bear book.

END NOTES: My blogpost is based on a review copy of the book provided by Macmillan.