Green Group discussion

I have created a new folder called Interviews. Here is the first thread: an interview with author Rosemary Mosco.

We have not yet had any interviews with our new group of moderators, so the rules are open to discussion and change. For now, I would like members to post questions for Rosemary on this thread. If you have read her books, feel free to share comments.

With your help we can make this work and have more in the future.

Here is Rosemary Mosco's Author Page on Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show...

Hi, Rosemary!

I have a 14-year-old son who loves reading... but only if you count comics and graphic novels (huge Manga fan). He does also really get into scientific topics (especially biology or astronomy) if they're presented in an engaging (visual) way. Your Science Comics: Solar System: Our Place in Space looks awesome; he thinks so, too!

- So what inspired you to combine comics / graphical storytelling with science? Did you start out as an artist who dug science or a science buff who had a gift for art?
- Do you find that this medium (comics) resonates with / reaches the younger audience today in ways that video content doesn't?

Hi Rosemary, thank you for contributing to nature knowledge.

Can you tell me why your favourite bird is the Laysan Albatross? I'm not very familiar with the bird, but I know albatrosses are all becoming endangered.

Rosemary will be stopping by on Wednesday, December 16, at 5:00 PM EST.

She will be answering her questions at that time and taking on any new ones.

Do you grow milkweed in your yard to encourage monarch butterflies? If so, have you had much success?

I like the looks of your butterfly book.

Hi Rosemary, I enjoyed your Birding is my favorite video game a lot.

So I’m just curious, when did you realize that science could be so funny?

Jimmy wrote: "I have created a new folder called Interviews. Here is the first thread: an interview with author Rosemary Mosco.

We have not yet had any interviews with our new group of moderators, so the rules..."

Jimmy wrote: "Here is Rosemary Mosco's Author Page on Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show..."

Hi Jimmy! I'm happy to be here. This is my first Goodreads interview, too.

Brian wrote: "Hi, Rosemary!

I have a 14-year-old son who loves reading... but only if you count comics and graphic novels (huge Manga fan). He does also really get into scientific topics (especially biology or ..."

Hi Brian! Thanks for sharing the story about your son. Of course, I'm biased, but I think that manga and graphic novels absolutely count as reading. We all learn in different ways, and comics just fit well with some people's learning styles. They're every bit as literary as a book without images.

I grew up loving both science and comics (I actually prefer the writing aspects of it, and I'd rather write than draw!). I really just wanted to express the facts I was learning. I read a lot of newspaper comics, so I was familiar with comics tackling important topics (like politics, family life, etc). It was a pretty natural move.

Comics are definitely very popular with young folks, though I'm not sure if they're more popular than video content. I don't know why they resonate so well. They're just so immersive, so creative, so fun, and so joyful. There's so much skill involved (especially with those huge manga series!).

If your son wants to try more science comics, there's a whole universe of them! Try the Science Comics from First Second, but browse around to find comics on almost any topic. History, biology, astronomy... it's amazing how much variety you'll find!

Thanks again for your question.

Clare wrote: "Hi Rosemary, thank you for contributing to nature knowledge.

Can you tell me why your favourite bird is the Laysan Albatross? I'm not very familiar with the bird, but I know albatrosses are all be..."

Hi Clare! If I'm honest, my favorite bird changes all the time. But I especially love albatrosses because they're improbably enormous, they mate for life, and they do funny dances. They live a very long time, and have so far survived in our rapidly changing world, but they're under extreme threat. Laysan Albatrosses in particular are very pretty and interesting-looking. I love the contrasting plumage. Did you know that the oldest known banded bird in the world is a Laysan Albatross? https://www.fws.gov/refuge/Midway_Ato...

Jimmy wrote: "Do you grow milkweed in your yard to encourage monarch butterflies? If so, have you had much success?

I like the looks of your butterfly book."

Hi Jimmy! I'm afraid I don't have a yard. I sincerely wish I did. I *have* snuck milkweed seeds into weedy places, but they've never germinated. Germinating common milkweed from seed is difficult. It's funny, because once this plant takes hold, it can be very weedy.

I love butterflies deeply. I'm part of a butterfly club and we gather to go look for all sorts of species, from the big and showy to the tiny and earth-toned. I wrote my butterfly book after I heard someone say that butterflies are just "girly" and pretty and boring. Just like you and me, butterflies are complex, gross, amazing, and beautiful.

Hákon wrote: "Hi Rosemary, I enjoyed your Birding is my favorite video game a lot.

So I’m just curious, when did you realize that science could be so funny?"

Hi Hákon! I think this was a slow realization prompted by a few different pieces of media. Growing up, my main inspirations were:
-The Far Side by Gary Larson
-A Field Guide to Little Known and Seldom Seen Birds of North America by Ben, Cathryn, and John Sill
-John Acorn the Nature Nut (a Canadian TV naturalist. I grew up in Canada!)

I realized early on that humor gives facts "wings". It helps science spread to new audiences and new places. It's a very useful tool!

Rosemary wrote: "Jimmy wrote: "Do you grow milkweed in your yard to encourage monarch butterflies? If so, have you had much success?

I like the looks of your butterfly book."

Hi Jimmy! I'm afraid I don't have a ..."

We have been very lucky with milkweed. We also raise some of the caterpillars to give them a greater chance of survival.

Thank you for your efforts, Rosemary.

Jimmy wrote: "Thank you for your efforts, Rosemary."

Thanks so much for the invitation, Jimmy.

Thanks Rosemary! Good to meet you.

Ditto! My sons are very, very impressed with your work. They love both science and art; your creations hit the sweet spot!!!