Hand illustrated children’s books to communicate about endangered plants
The ConservePlants COST Action is active at the forefront of protecting endangered plant species. Their network is committed not only to their scientific work but also to sharing knowledge with people of all ages, especially children. And what better way to captivate young minds than through stories!
With a recently published collection of children’s books, ConservePlants showcases the captivating tales of endangered plants, lovingly penned by passionate researchers, many of them young researchers from the network. These stories offer a unique window into the lives of these remarkable plants, providing valuable insights into their importance and the challenges they face. Each narrative is crafted to both entertain and educate, fostering a love for nature and promoting conservation.
We catch up with Sissi Lozada, young researcher and initiator of the project who authored and illustrated “Antenita and the Black Iris”:
Where did the idea for a series of ConservePlants books come from?
The idea for the series actually started with my story “Antenita and the Black Iris”. I was working in Tel Aviv University, studying those beautiful endemic irises and their relationship with their pollinators, a group of bees with long antennae. These bees use the flowers as hotels to spend the nights during spring and next day they get warmed up from the flower and start flying. Normally when a bee visits a flower, it gets nectar as a food reward, but in this system shelter is the main reward. I thought this was perfect for a story for kids and I proposed that idea to people at Conserve Plants. They liked it but they asked me to extend it to other plant species, mainly from Europe, that is how the idea of a collection emerged.
I first approached Karolina Hrušková to write a story about Minuartia smejkalii, the Minerva’s plant, because I worked with her before. She agreed to make a story and then I found Marta Barberis by recommendation from some people inside the Action and she was also willing to work with me. It was the three of us for a very long time and finally Katarina Šoln got involved in the project and added a forth story to the collection. These girls were great, they did all the work voluntarily, and we got along very well.
Tell me about the collection
The collection has four books covering one plant from Israel (Iris atropurpurea), one from Italy (Primula apennina), one from the Czech Republic (Minuartia smejkalii) and one from Slovenia (Scopolia carniolica).
They are printed in English and the mother language of each of the authors, which in most cases correspond to the language where the endangered plants are from. The only exception is mine, since my mother language is Spanish and not Hebrew, however we have a translation in Hebrew available online. Also there are translations to other languages available online.
Did you already have any experience with creative writing or illustration?
I did a few scientific illustrations before but never for a children’s book, although since I was a kid I enjoyed drawing. Creating the story was quite new for me, but I got inspiration and it didn’t take me long at all, a few days and it was ready. Illustrations took much longer, but it was a very fun and enjoyable work.
Once the project was a bit more structured, myself as the main leader, I went to learn a bit about storytelling and illustration. So I did a Short-Term Scientific Mission (STSM) in 2021 at Vigo University at the lab of Prof. Luis Navarro, an expert on scientific illustration and videos, who was also part of the ConservePlants Action. I stayed there for a couple of weeks and I wrote and made the first sketches of my story during this time. I learned a lot from Luis’ experience on science communication and I shared all these experiences with the other authors.
How did you find the process of mixing art, creative writing, and your scientific knowledge?
I think it is the best combination to get inspiration from the real world. We created a story, gave life to characters and it is all based on science! What else can one ask for?!
How can public engagement and science communication projects like this improve plant conservation?
I consider public engagement and science communication essential to conserve nature, including plants. People conserve things only if they know why they are important or how their actions would affect interactions, for example in my story, plucking an iris flower would affect the bees directly, there would be less hotels for them to sleep. They wouldn’t know that without the story. And in particular, targeting new generations as kids is vital, since they are the future generations who will be protecting nature.
What did you learn from this project?
I learned not only about science and amazing plants around the world, but also this experience opened my scientific network with people passionate about conservation of plants. I learned a lot from the meetings and the projects within ConservePlants and I still have contact with people and continue working together. It also helped to be more independent and coordinate people from different parts and backgrounds, skills that are essential for an independent researcher. Finally, I also learned that I am passionate about science communication and its importance and I am willing to include this in every single science project I have. As I am trying to do now with my pollination project in Bolivia.
What would you share with other young researcher looking to get involved in a COST Action?
My advice to other young researchers looking to get involved in COST Actions is that they should because we can learn a lot from all the people involved, especially senior researchers. And if they have ideas or suggestions, express them because the Action could really benefit from them, as ConservePlants did from this children’s book project.
Further information
Download all the ConservePlants children’s book
Other science communication best practise examples:
