Sneed B. Collard III is the author of the new children's picture book Like No Other: Earth's Coolest One-of-a Kind Creatures. His many other books include Border Crossings. He lives in Missoula, Montana.
Q: What inspired you to write Like No Other?
A: I have always been fascinated by the processes that lead to different kinds of life on earth. People mostly think about explosions of insect species in rainforests or fish species on coral reefs, but equally interesting are species that avoid extinction when their close relatives do not.
The first time I really thought about this was when I visited New Zealand and learned about the tuatara. It is the last surviving species of a reptilian order that was once highly successful in the ancient supercontinent of Pangea.
The rest of its relatives likely fell prey to competition and predation from pesky mammals and, perhaps, other groups of animals. Somehow, however, the tuatara’s ancestors escaped on the “life raft” of New Zealand, where the tuatara still lives today.
This story, I think, alerted me to other animals in similar situations and, three decades later, led to Like No Other.
Q: How did you choose the creatures to include in the book, and what surprised you most in the course of your research?
A: I discovered about half of the animals in Like No Other while doing research for previous books. Whenever I found an animal with no close relatives, I’d kind of “tuck it away” in my brain for later use. These included the tuatara, kakapo, leatherback sea turtle, platypus, and pronghorn.
But I also wanted to include animals from a diversity of animal groups, and discovered these animals by actively searching for them.
My most surprising—and, perhaps, delightful—find was the purple frog, an amphibian I had never heard of living in the mountains of India.
Purple frogs are extraordinary for a couple of reasons. For one, they spend the vast majority of their lives underground eating invertebrates. When they do emerge to mate, they lay eggs in pools of fast-flowing streams that would sweep away most other animals. Their tadpoles, though, come equipped with a superpower ability to attach to slick rocks with water pounding over them.
Because so little is known about purple frogs, I consulted with a scientist in India to learn more about them, so I now have a new purple frog friend abroad!
Q: What do you think Christopher Silas Neal’s illustrations add to the book?
A: This was the third or fourth book I have had the pleasure of doing with editor Harold Underdown. Harold has too many talents to list here, but one of them is to find incredible illustrators for nonfiction picture books.
When he suggested Christopher Silas Neal, I have to admit that I didn’t have super strong feelings one way or the other, but I trusted Harold and said, “Sure.” I’m so glad I did!
Chris’s illustrations strike the perfect balance of accuracy and fun for children. They make the subject and text come alive in a way that words alone could never do. In fact, I just love flipping through this book. That’s a great testament to the power and enchantment of Chris’s work.
Q: What do you hope kids take away from the book?
A: I, of course, hope they have fun learning about a bunch of extraordinary animals they may never have heard of.
I also hope that both kids and adults begin to get a sense of the remarkably long timeline of life on earth and just how many events, accidents, and processes it has taken to produce the amazing planet we have today. This, I hope, will give readers a greater appreciation for our planet and a greater sense of ownership in protecting it.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I am delighted to be working on two additional picture books with Harold Underdown at Kane Press (Astra Books for Young Readers).
One focuses on animals that are especially good at living in cities, and that should be out next year. The other features animals that have been crucial in helping humans create the world we live in today. These should both be really fun follow-ups to Like No Other.
I am also thrilled to have my fourth book for adults coming out from Mountaineers Books this September. It’s called Birding for Boomers—And Everyone Else Brave Enough to Embrace the World’s Most Rewarding and Frustrating Activity, a guidebook for beginning birders from all walks of life.
For the past decade, in fact, my son Braden and I have been ardent birders, and birds continue to hugely inspire my writing for both children and adults—including Like No Other.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: In addition to writing, I spend a good deal of time speaking to children and adults about writing, science, travel, and other topics. I continue to do this, often combining birding outings with my other speaking activities.
Anyone who is interested in inviting me to a school, conference, or event can contact me at sbcollardiii@gmail.com. Both kids and adults are welcome to follow my latest adventures on the blog I write with my son, fathersonbirding.com.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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