Mokumoku Ren
It’s said that the way to get rid of mokumoku ren is to patch up the holes in the shoji screen. Apparently they are a supernatural commentary on poor housekeeping.
A worn-out shoji, or rice paper, screen with eyes that watch you wherever you go. Not the scariest Japanese demon I’ve encountered, but one of my favorites. There’s just something in the intersection between cute and spooky.
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Pygmy Marmosets Go To War
A killer stalks the treetops of the amazon….pygmy marmosets (like the heroine of Quick, Little Monkey!) may seem like mere fluffy cuteness, but they’re relentless in search of a meal. Don’t mess with the pygmy!
Read MoreStorywalk Around the Neighborhood!
Check out these charming readers soaring, waddling, and quacking with the animal characters of Around the Neighborhood. The Springfield-Greene County Library District in Missouri (shout out to my home state!) made this lullaby book into a storywalk. So much fun, plus a great excuse to get outside (and pounce, hop, etc.) on a lovely summer day!
Read MoreMarmoset Madness
Marmosets rule!
Really, there’s just something so appealing about these little cuties, the superheroes of my rainforest adventure, Quick, Little Monkey! It’s the fuzz, I think…and the big eyes…and of course the tininess. A full-grown adults weighs about as much as a stick of butter. How adorable is that?
Some other fun marmoset facts:
• Yep, they really are monkeys. In fact, they are the world’s smallest true monkey.
• The adults are tiny, as mentioned above…and a baby is about the size of grown-up human’s thumb
• They can leap fifteen feet in one bound. Amazing!
• A group of monkeys is called a troop. (This always makes me imagine them in red uniforms and big hats, like a marching band.
• Pygmy marmosets are omnivores, but their favorite food is tree sap. They’ll digs holes in a tree’s bark with their teeth and lap up the sap. (New word for the day: gummivore. An animal that eats sap. Really, it’s a word.)
• And, just like in my book, father marmosets do most of the childcare. They carry the youngest babies piggyback and bring them back to their mothers to be nursed.
Sarah L. Thomson
A children’s book author publishing award-winning nonfiction, poetry, picture books and novels including…
“Thomson focuses on newfound connection, magic, and suspense to conjure a fast-paced, heartwarming mystery. Thomson’s world is populated by resourceful protagonists, fanciful creatures, and quirky supporting characters.”
—Publishers Weekly