Ants, bees, and owls – even if you live in a city, like I do, you must have met many denizens of the species at some time or the other. Here are some of my encounters with them, and my favourite books about them. 

Ants

When I lived in Costa Rica, I was fascinated by the Zompopas - Leafcutter Ants found there. They would march in a straight line holding carefully cut leaves atop their beady heads. I would walk behind them, a marching tune stuck in my head, and my friends would shake their head as I almost ended up stepping on some animal poop! And then I read Busy Ants (Pratham Books), a bilingual book by Kanchan Bannerjee, illustrated by Deepa Balsavar. A busy ant – standing fourth in the line of an army – introduces the species, how they communicate, their strength, and skills. After that, you will not want to squash ants, like so many people try to do, and instead enjoy observing these marvellous insects.    

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Illustration: Deepa Balsavar, 'Busy Ants', courtesy Pratham Books StoryWeaver

Bees

I once had a friend who did a merry little dance outside our office – I was quite alarmed; colleagues don’t usually break into a jig without a reason. She hadn’t got a raise as far as I knew. But then I realised she was skirting a bee, yelling, “it will bite me, it will bite me!” I rolled my eyes, dragged her away from the bee, and told her bees sting, not bite. Sheesh, as if they go about stinging people just like that! I also promptly gave her The Honey Hunter (Young Zubaan) to read. This gorgeous picture book is written by Karthika Nair and illustrated in stunning pop colours by Joëlle Jolivet. As you open the book, you will step into the mangrove forest of Sundarbans, where “thousands and thousands, even gazillions, of bees” live. Find out how they gather honey, about the seasons they make honey in, and the forest they dwell in.  

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Image courtesy Bijal Vachharajani

Owl 

When I was knee high – some six- or seven-years-old – my family and I were returning home from a dinner in Delhi. My father took out the keys to the house and we all stopped short – there was a huge Barn Owl perched right by our door! I was petrified, but my mother promised me that the owl was harmless, and those big black eyes were just fixed on us out of curiosity. I squeezed into my house by walking in sideways through the door, but I grew up to appreciate these nocturnal birds. I especially loved reading Hoot by Carl Hiassen. Set in Florida, the story is about a group of friends who must stop a pancake house from being built. I know we all love pancakes, but this restaurant was going to destroy an entire colony of Burrowing Owls! I have met some people who hate owls, because they consider them inauspicious. What a silly superstition – if an owl were to visit me, I would consider myself lucky. 

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Image courtesy Pan Macmillan Australia

In collaboration with BAM Books, an Instagram-led project that highlights diverse books for children and young adults.

Guest Editor Diaries: Of Ants And Owls - Eight-year-old Guest Editor Sachit Nandan Anand assigns stories to the NiF team.

How I Fell In Love With Nature - Eight-year-old Guest Editor Sachit Nandan Anand tells us how a trip to Coorg got him fascinated with all creatures big and small.

Owl Away! - Abhishek Gulshan details the beauty of the Barn Owl.

When The Ants Go Marching In - Karthikeyan Srinivasan talks to us about ants and bees and how they play a crucial role in keeping humans from extinction.

Check out more stories on our Young Tusks page.