Hey, McCloskey

Wild About Capybaras! May 2026. “Curious kids explore what makes capybaras so special—and learn there’s so much more to these oversize rodents than their cute appearance. A visually delightful capybara primer .”—Kirkus Reviews

I’ve traveled from Philadelphia’s Franklin Institute to the California Academy of Sciences sharing fascinating facts about common creatures. You can see me in action on my YouTube channel.

“McCloskey has an artistic gift for presenting precisely painted scientific illustrations to young children in an unpretentious way.” – School Library Journal

“You’ve got company, Dr. Seuss.” – Good Housekeeping.

The Giggle and Learn series began in 2015 when my wife Patt, a librarian, asked for a “funny but true” worm book to read to children.

**Original cover for the book that would become We Dig Worms!**

I painted that worm book on brown paper bags. It was simple, but a big hit at the library. I sent one copy off to a publisher of comics, TOON Books in New York City.

**Cover Design by Françoise Mouly, TOON Books**

Françoise Mouly liked the idea. She is the publisher of Toon Books and the art editor of The New Yorker magazine. She made We Dig Worms! into a real book. Since then we’ve worked together on 5 more Toon Books about little creatures: The Real Poop on Pigeons!, Somethings Fishy!, Snails are Just My Speed! and Ants Don’t Wear Pants!

REVIEWS

WE DIG WORMS! “By focusing on the questions kids ask and the way they ask them, the book moves along quickly and provides accurate, intriguing information without getting bogged down in too much detail…An excellent primer for worm enthusiasts and an excellent easy reader for graphic-novel fans.” – Booklist

THE REAL POOP ON PIGEONS! “Budding naturalists who dug We Dig Worms! will, well, coo over this similarly enlightening accolade. Another feather in McCloskey’s cap.” –Kirkus Reviews

SOMETHING’S FISHY! “The lessons here are more subtle and comedic than your straightforward educational work, but that makes this, as with McCloskey’s other books, a fun read. –Comics Worth Reading

SNAILS ARE JUST MY SPEED! “With hip and fun graphics, just enough ‘ick’ factor, and plenty of facts, this title offers beginning readers a great deal of information about snails and slugs…What a delight!” -School Library Journal

ANTS DON’T WEAR PANTS! “McCloskey continues his trade-mark humor while imparting plenty of facts to keep emerging readers interested. Insect-loving kids won’t want to pass this volume up.” – School Library Journal’s Good Comics for Kids