Writing for children is the most gloriously tricky thing in the world, and I love doing it. With fiction, am I telling a story worth telling to someone whoâs new to the planet and new to our way of life? With non-fiction, am I distilling complexity into a shape they can grasp quickly? Am I showing them how wonderful and strange our world is, and can I make âem laugh while learning? Iâve written 18 books for kids, many commissioned by Think Equal for their global SEL program and used in the national curricula of 20 countries.
A graphic novel about three intrepid, ground-breaking scientists, working far from home.
Although aimed at kids of 12+ this is well worth reading with younger kids, too. Wicksâ cartooning is clear and vivid, and Ottaviani captures the distinct voices of his three subjects beautifully. Wicks keeps the page grids simple and uses colour effectively to tell the reader which of her subjects theyâre âhearingâ on the page.
Itâs easy to follow and the ethological work of Goodall, Fossey, and Galdikas truly benefits from comicsâ ability to depict sequential movement and, in this case, behaviour.
Bonus: Wicks worked on a book about Mary Anning, too (text by Sarah Glen Marsh)!
Jim Ottaviani returns with an action-packed account of the three greatest primatologists of the last century: Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Birute Galdikas. These three groundbreaking researchers were all students of the great Louis Leakey, and each made profound contributions to primatology - and to our own understanding of ourselves. Tackling Goodall, Fossey, and Galdikas in turn, and covering the highlights of their respective careers, Primates is an entertaining and informative look at primatology and at the lives of three of the most remarkable women scientists of the twentieth century, with charming illustrations by Maris Wicks.
