Tardigrades: Nature’s Toughest Survivors – Anne Morgan/Jennifer Falkner

CSIRO Publishing

October 2024

ISBN: 9781486316052

RRP: $24.99

In one of those weird moments of synchronicity I found out about this book just as I’d finished a MG novel in which the protagonist is doing her class project on tardigrades. They really are the strangest little beasties but how cool is this book that will fascinate your kiddos and have them trying to ‘spot the tardigrade’ whenever they can, magnifying glass in hand no doubt.

Starting off with examples of where tardigrades might be found, and their long history (they go further back than the dinosaurs), covering their anatomy, their astonishing abilities e.g. suspended animation, surviving extreme temperatures and the history of their discovery, this entire book is just a marvellous dip into the microbiological world of which we see so little [yeah, I know but it was begging to be said].

Blending information with an engaging text is a very admirable skill, and doing that in a way that will capture children’s imaginations is even more of a skill. This does both excellently, , so kudos to author Anne Morgan on that point. There is a glossary so that new or specialist vocabulary is clearly understood, and I believe that this would be a wonderful springboard into some work with microscopes and investigating the hidden world of micro-creatures.

Jennifer Falkner’s illustrations are spot on. They capture the look of the little moss pigs whilst imbuing them with personality that I’m not entirely sure they actually have, haha! The teaching notes might inspire you to take this further, and I would say this is a terrific share for kiddos from Year 2 upwards – in fact, upper primary kids would still be very interested and are usually very keen scientists.

I’m giving it a huge 5 🔬🔬🔬🔬🔬rating – it’s another quality book from the CSIRO team.

‘Just add water’ – the magic of tardigrades

National Geographic Kids – Tardigrades

What are tardigrades, and why are they nearly indestructible?

Microbial Life Educational Resources: Tardigrades (Water Bears)