An engaging mix of scientific fact with a family story about summer and cicadas. Written by Lesley Gibbes, illustrated by Judy Watson

SHORTLISTED FOR THE CBCA EVE POWNALL AWARD FOR INFORMATION BOOKS 2020

WINNER OF THE ROYAL ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF NSW WHITLEY AWARD, CHILDREN’S STORY CATEGORY 2020

Written by Lesley Gibbes and published by Walker Books Australia
Find a bookshop here or buy online.

This lovely story about a child and their grandfather searching for cicadas is part of the award-winning narrative nonfiction Nature Storybooks series.

In the summertime, Grandpa and I go cicada-watching. We put our camping gear into my wagon and walk down to the local reserve. Last year we saw five Green Grocers, three Yellow Mondays and one Floury Baker. Can we find the rare Black Prince this year? This heartwarming nonfiction picture book is written by award-winning author Lesley Gibbes and gorgeously illustrated by Judy Watson.

Reviews

‘The latest title in the series is ‘Searching for Cicadas’ and (shhhhhhhhh), I think it might be my favourite to date. Lesley Gibbes is an accomplished writer and the story of a grandfather and grandchild going cicada watching is a beautiful portrayal of grandparent/grandchild relationships and the wonder of nature. The illustrations by Judy Watson are captivating and could/should be hanging in an art gallery. The layers and layers of illustration are fascinating to explore, with so many little ‘hidden’ details and interesting perspectives.’ CHILDREN’S BOOKS DAILY

‘Judy Watson’s illustrations don’t just show the life cycle of the cicada, although all the picture-elements which deal with this are very exact and easy to see and interpret, but express the atmosphere of the little camp in the bush reserve as the sun sets and the moon rises and the sense of wonder as the strange and complex elements of the cicada cycle come together in a climax of shimmering wings and ear-splitting mate-attracting noise.’  MAGPIES

About illustrating this Book

This book depicts the life cycle of the humble but fascinating cicada, an insect widely loved throughout the world. Why do we seem to love some insects and despise others? Perhaps part of the reason in this case, is people’s fond memories of summer holidays and time shared with family, set against the soundtrack of cicadas singing at the tops of their ‘voices’. (Read the book to find out how they really sing!)

As with all of the books in the Walker Books Nature Storybook series, this book employs a combination of fact and fiction. The fiction part is the relationship between a child and grandfather who head out camping together.

For this book, I observed the cicadas, the plants and the leaf litter carefully, then rendered the different elements in pencil or ink using both traditional and improvised tools. The scanned artwork was then combined as a many-layered digital collage in PhotoShop.

Whilst I often draw my characters with dip pen and ink (Goodnight, Mice!) or paint them with a brush and ink (When You’re Older), the figures in this book were drawn in pencil, to give the book a more earthy look. The colour palette was drawn straight from the dusty grey-blue-green Australian landscape with a few pops of brighter hues.

Searching for Cicadas is a perfect read-aloud for curious children with a love of animals and the outdoors, or for anyone looking for a non-fiction picture book with heart.