Poetry Box review: Critters of Aotearoa, by Nicola Toki, illustrated by Lily Duval

Do try my October poem challenge

Critters of Aotearoa, Nicola Toki, illustrated by Lily Duval, Penguin, 2023

Jesse Mulligan (RNZ) and Nicola Toki started ‘Critter of the Week‘ on RNZ National to shine a much needed light on ‘the lesser known, lesser loved native animals’. Listeners have tuned in for almost ten years and formed a solid fan base. They have bought thousands of critter t-shirts, entered the critter cake contest and the knit-a-critter competition.

Nicola has gathered some of these animals in Critters of Aotearoa, showing how critters not labelled as cute are immensely fascinating, also endangered, and in need of our attention and care.

Aotearoa has over 4000 threatened species. Critters of Aotearoa’s contents page introduces 50! It must have been tough choosing but Nicola covers a range of habitats and species. I spent ages on the contents page trying to picture what each critter looked like. Here is a taste of the evocative names: crimson jellyfish, New Zealand pea crab, forest ringlet butterfly, giant knobbled weevil, harlequin gecko, horrid stick insect, leaf-veined slug, vegetable sheep.

There is an attractiveness index at the back of the book that puts the critters in groups according to their good looks and charm: ‘Ew, Yuck!’ / ‘No, thank you’ / ‘Not bad, not bad’ / ‘Alright, I guess’ / ‘Wow, so attractive’. There is a more traditional index that groups into critter classifications: amphibians, birds, crustaceans, fish, fungi, insects, invertebrates, mammals, molluscs, plants, reptiles, spiders, and even a hard-to-classify entry.

Here are two of my favourite new-to-me critters: the Greta Thunberg freshwater snail and the hagfish.

The freshwater snail is named after Greta Thunberg because the researchers who discovered the critter wanted to name it after the environmental activist who ignited global action on climate change. At the moment, the researchers are worried they don’t have enough information about the snail to know how to protect it. It ranks 4 on Nicola’s attractiveness scale (10 being most attractive), it feeds off organic slimes and has a little ‘trapdoor’ on its shell which it can shut when it needs to keep moisture in. Fascinating!

The hagfish is equally fascinating. Scientists have discovered hagfish remains from 300 million years ago and the critter has barely changed. It ranks 1 on the attractiveness scale. They produce slime when they need to defend themselves, because when they are covered in slime, they are impossible to eat! They are blind and usually live at the bottom of the ocean. They are like vacuum cleaners as they hoover up the dead sea-life that sinks to the bottom of the ocean. Scientists are investigating the slime because, if they can reproduce it synthetically, they may turn it into packaging, bandages, protective clothing. Also fascinating!

You can tell Critters of Aotearoa is a labour of love. So much research, so carefully written, with facts that underline how the ugliest critters can be the coolest creatures. The book is a miniature encyclopedia of critter fascinations. And importantly, the book is a call to action, as we join together to protect and save threatened species across the globe.

Lily Duval‘s illustrations are also a labour of love. I read in her bio she is a big fan of drawing and of insects, and it shows. She nails texture, colour and facial expressions with her adept use of drawing materials.

This book is a necessary and informative arrival, made with aroha and an eye for detail by a dream team: author, illustrator and publisher. It deserves a spot in every school library and on every home bookshelf. Magnificent!

Nicola Toki has been a ‘nature nerd’ for as long as she can remember. She is deeply passionate about Aotearoa New Zealand’s endemic wildlife, and especially telling stories about it to anyone who will listen! As a kid, Nic had tadpoles, caterpillars and praying mantises as pets, and likely drove her parents mad with her collection of things she found on the beach — including her prized dried stinky shark’s head and a penguin carcass. After studying zoology and natural history filmmaking at the University of Otago (which led her to spend a summer on an island near the Antarctic Peninsula researching Adelie penguins), Nic feels very lucky to have built a career as a champion for nature. She believes that telling people stories of hope drives action to protect the species we love.

Lily Duval is an artist, writer and researcher based in beautiful Ōhinehou/Lyttelton. She’s an insect nerd, book lover and obsessive tramper. Lily’s always been addicted to drawing — in kindergarten the teachers had to pull her away from the paints so the other children could have a turn! A love of stories led her to complete a Masters in English Literature, which examined our attitudes to insects here in Aotearoa. She’s always raving about why we need to love bugs and not squish them. Critters of Aotearoa is her first picture book.

Penguin Random House page