We’re excited to welcome acclaimed science author Susan Stockdale to the blog! Susan shares a little bit about the inspiration behind her beautiful picture book Line Up!
My inspiration for Line Up! Animals in Remarkable Rows was sparked by something I’d seen many times in my life: ants crawling in a perfectly straight line. But this time, I wondered why ants did this. And that made me curious: What other animals line up? And how do they benefit from that behavior?
I was especially excited about exploring this theme since kids line up regularly at school. How fun to show them that animals do, too! My research revealed fascinating information about why animals queue up.
For example, when shallow water begins to cool in autumn, the Spiny lobster migrates in a long, single file of up to fifty (yes, fifty!) lobsters—walking day and night—to reach deeper, warmer water.
This is the kind of unusual behavior I was thrilled to share with kids.
Fairywrens, which roost closely together in a row to share body heat during cool nights, inspired my bedtime ending:
Line up, Fairywren.
Grab a branch and hold tight.
Then sleep standing up
as you nestle all night.
Stay warm, dozing creatures.
Sweet dreams, bedtime readers.
Good night.
I hope Line Up! encourages children to marvel at the natural world