The Nature Inspiration Awards, in conjunction with the Canadian Museum of Nature, recognize individuals and organizations whose specific projects encourage Canadians to take an interest in natural history, create links with nature and contribute to its preservation. We would like to congratulate Sophia Spencer, the Bug Girl herself, who won this year’s Youth Nature Inspiration Award!
The Bug Girl
By Sophia Spencer and Margaret McNamara
Illustrated by KERASCOET
44 Pages | Ages 4-8 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780735267527 | Tundra Books
Sophia Spencer has loved bugs ever since a butterfly landed on her shoulder–and wouldn’t leave! – at a butterfly conservancy when she was only two-and-a-half years old. In preschool and kindergarten, Sophia was thrilled to share what she knew about grasshoppers (her very favorite insects), as well as ants and fireflies . . . but by first grade, not everyone shared her enthusiasm. Some students bullied her, and Sophia stopped talking about bugs altogether. When Sophia’s mother wrote to an entomological society looking for a bug scientist to be a pen pal for her daughter, she and Sophie were overwhelmed by the enthusiastic response – letters, photos and videos came flooding in. Using the hashtag #BugsR4Girls, scientists tweeted hundreds of times to tell Sophia to keep up her interest in bugs – and it worked!
“Sophia wrote her book to encourage children to discover the natural world around them, and to believe in yourself and never stop loving the things that bring you joy.” – The Nature Inspiration Awards