Elinor Wonders Why, Hiding in Plain Sight

The three friends, Elinor, Olive, and Ari, were losing badly at hide-and-seek when they spotted some twigs that began to move. It was a toad hiding under the pile of twigs. The toad was hidden because the colour of his skin blended in with the colour of the twigs. The children learned a lesson about camouflage. The next time they played hide-and-seek, they used camouflage and were not found.

Information boxes with a magnifying glass icon are found throughout the book. Each box contains scientific information, in this case, about how animals adapt to their environment. Some of them use camouflage to hide from their enemies. The information boxes contain the following facts: the definition of camouflage; goats have special eyes that can move up and down and side to side, and they can see far away to avoid their enemies, the coyotes; katydids are insects that use camouflage to hide from enemies that would eat them; toads are nocturnal and use camouflage to hide from birds and other animals; and sparrows can hide well from enemies because their feathers blend in with their surroundings.

A section at the back of the book, titled “Hide-and-Seek in Nature”, explains an activity in a scientific manner. It lists the items needed to perform the experiment (one of the items is a grownup assistant), and step-by-step instructions for how to make observations and record them. The records are made through illustrations. The heading, “We Need More Observations!”, is followed by a list of questions to help budding scientists evaluate the information they have amassed.

The graphic novel format of Elinor Wonders Why: Hiding in Plain Sight includes full- colour illustrations with cartoon characters. The text is a dialogue among the animal cartoon characters that explores the idea of animal camouflage in nature.

Teachers/caregivers can use Elinor Wonders Why: Hiding in Plain Sight to introduce the scientific method with a focus on how animals adapt to their environment through the use of camouflage. Children will enjoy the characters and can relate to the game of hide-and-seek in a playground setting.