Roaring Brook Press | 978-1250246714

Roberta rescues tiny creatures. It’s a job no one seems to care much about, except her. Roberta believes tiny creatures — roly polys, earthworms, spiders — need friends who understand them and who will rescue when they need help.

© Words by Curtis Manley, illustrations by Lucy Ruth Cummins

Sometimes, Roberta’s tiny creature rescues go awry. Like the time she picks up “a dragonfly that was flopping around on the ground.” It bit her — the nerve! 

While most of Roberta’s rescues go smoothly, some are too hard to manage alone. Like the time her classroom was teeming with hundreds of tiny stripey spider specks, far too many for one person to save.

© Words by Curtis Manley, illustrations by Lucy Ruth Cummins

Thanks to Roberta’s plan and a little help from her friend Maria, the kids manage to catch the spiderlings and release them outdoors where they balloon away to their new homes on strands of delicate silk. The experience is magical!

THE RESCUER OF TINY CREATURES by Curtis Manley and Lucy Ruth Cummins is a charming book about a young girl with a big heart for all manner of tiny living things. Backmatter includes a list of “Roberta’s Favorite Tiny Creatures Worth Rescuing,” as well as Maria’s origami box with a lockable lid –perfect for rescuing bugs needing a helping hand!