David Antenborough narrates this picture—book send—up of a nature documentary, sounding just like the real—life David but with six limbs for his trademark gesticulations. Director Stephen Spielbug tries to keep the cast of characters on task, but it's worse than herding cats: The orb—weaving spider would like to eat one or two other actors; the grasshopper is a diva; the worm is too busy munching dirt to emerge from the ground on cue; the robin has called in sick and fails to show up for the predation scene; and the slug is too embarrassed by his slime to perform. Then filming is interrupted by a wuffling noise and a foul—smelling hurricane as Fido the dog sniffs his way through the grass and onto the set. The panicked actors flee at top speed (which is not very fast in the slug's case), but the intrepid Antenborough continues narrating, Spielbug keeps directing, and they bring the film to a dramatic conclusion.
Fran Hodgkins (Rockport, ME) is the author of more than 20 books for young readers, including The Whale Scientists, a Junior Library Guild selection, and How People Learned to Fly. Her book The Secret Galaxy (page 75) was a Junior Library Guild selection, a Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year, and a California Reading Association Eureka Gold Award winner.
Dan Tavis (Dunbarton, NH) has been doodling since his first math class in elementary school and was inspired to paint upon discovering Bill Watterson's Calvin and Hobbes comic strip. Watterson's work remains a major influence. Dan is the illustrator of Common Critters (page 74), The Whale Fall Café (page 31), Good Eating (page 30), and Fluffy McWhiskers and the Cuteness Explosion (2021) and indulges his passion to illustrate characters that emotionally connect with the viewer and tell stories through visual narrative. Dan creates illustrations with watercolor, ink, and digital media. Visit him at dantavis.com.
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