The Observologist by Giselle Clarkson

The Observologist is a fun and fascinating introduction to wonders of creation available for viewing in your own back yard.

The Observologist: A Handbook for Mounting Very Small Scientific Expeditions by Giselle Clarkson. Gecko Press, 2023, 118 pages.

Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 8-10

Recommended for: ages 8-15

If bugs could talk, they’d have a lot to tell you about life cycles, tasty things to eat, predators to avoid, and poop. Since they can’t talk, you should check out The Observologist for tips on how to find them, what to do with them, and what to look for. “Observology” (not a real word—yet) is defined as “the study of looking,” and the introductory chapter shares the basic principles as well as tips, tricks, and basic taxonomy. A page on “Your Evolutionary Family Tree” can easily be skipped, as well as nods to evolution scattered throughout the text. A far more prominent theme is wonder at the variety and ingenuity of the natural world—all discoverable just beyond the back steps, or even inside the house.

For example, the tardigrade, an animal that feeds on lichen, is about the size of the period at the end of a sentence, but comes equipped with a brain and digestive system. Fungi is something between an animal and a plant, with characteristics of each, as well as its own special properties. Worms can feel pleasure and pain. Garden snails are hermaphrodites (both sexes in one). And so on. As the book was originally published in Australia, many of the specimens are unique to Down Under. But no less fascinating.

The author/illustrator provides bounteous drawings of animal specimens, as well as their feeding places, eggs, and predators. These are cartoony but accurate, with humorous speech bubbles and asides that will keep young readers chuckling before they start looking. (Do you know how to recognize spider poop?) Once specimens are found, the author seems to have a Ghandi-like reverence for them. (Don’t squash that fly! Encourage him gently to leave the room.) The Observologist is not a book to read straight through, but it’s endlessly browseable and worth checking out more than once.

Overall rating: 4 (out of 5)

• Worldview/moral value: 3.5
• Artistic/literary value: 4.5

 Read more about our ratings here.

Also at Redeemed Reader:

• Reviews: Look Up! Birdwatching in Your Own Backyard is one of my favorite everyday science books. Also see the Wile E. Coyote Physical Science series for fun facts and experiments.
• Resource: How to spark “Creation Appreciation”? See our “Love Your Yard” booklist!

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