"From beloved, award-winning poet Aimee Nezhukumatathil comes a debut work of nonfiction--a collection of essays about the natural world, and the way its inhabitants can teach, support, and inspire us"-- As a child, Nezhukumatathil called many places home, but no matter where she was transplanted she was able to turn to our world's fierce and funny creatures for guidance. The axoloti teaches us to smile, even in the face of unkindness; the touch-me-not plant shows us how to shake off unwanted advances; the narwhal demonstrates how to survive in hostile environments. Even in the strange and the unlovely, she found that this was the way with wonder: it requires that we are curious enough to look past the distractions in order to fully appreciate the world's gifts. -- adapted from jacket Provided by publisher

Catalpa tree -- Firefly -- Peacock -- Comb jelly -- Touch-me-nots -- Cactus Wren -- Narwhal -- Axolotl -- Dancing frog -- Vampire squid -- Monsoon -- Corpse flower -- Bonnet macaque -- Calendars Poetica -- Whale shark -- Potoo -- Cara Cara orange -- Octopus -- Grey cockatiel -- Dragon fruit -- Flamingo -- Ribbon eel -- Questions while searching for birds with my half-white sons, aged six and nine, National Audubon Bird Count Day, Oxford, MS -- Superb Bird of Paradise -- Red-spotted newt -- Southern Cassowary -- Monarch butterfly -- Firefly (redux).