Nature's Remarkable Partners: Wild Poems for Two Voices

These wild poems for two voices offer young readers an up-to-date peek at an intriguing array of symbiotic partnerships in nature.

Most upper-elementary students are familiar with mutually beneficial partnerships in nature--butterflies and milkweed, for example, or clownfish and anemones. But award-winning science poetry author Leslie Bulion has delved into recent research on mutualism and found fresh examples of these relationships for young readers to investigate, including the egg-laying carrion beetle and its hitchhiking mite passengers, as well as the little goby fish that guards the pistol shrimp from predators in exchange for a safe haven.

Reading aloud these clever verses for two voices will help young learners engage with and enjoy these marvels of nature, and notes in the back of the book shed more light on the diversity of poetic forms. In addition, brief science notes accompanying each featured partnership, and comprehensive back matter provides more opportunities for study.

Robert Meganck's witty drawings add another layer of fun to this humorous gallery of perfect partners. This collection is ideal for cross-curricular learning, including units on biology, mutualism, and poetry. Other popular science poetry collections by this creative team are Superlative Birds, Amphibian Acrobats, and Spi-ku, a book about the trick-filled world of spiders.

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

Author: Leslie Bulion
Publisher: Margaret Quinlin Books
Published: 03/10/2026
Pages: 56
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.00lbs
Size: 9.62h x 8.99w x 0.48d
ISBN: 9781682637807
Audience: Ages 9-12


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 01/15/2026
Booklist 03/01/2026
School Library Journal 09/12/2025 pg. 1

About the Author
Leslie Bulion creates award-winning science poetry steeped in hands-on learning experiences, nature observation, research, humor, and imagery in a variety of poetic forms. Her nine other illustrated collections invite readers on multi-layered science adventures investigating spiders, birds, sea creatures, insects, amphibians, and more. Her two newest science poetry books, Serengeti: Plains of Grass and Galapagos: Islands of Change take readers on poetic tours of two of Earth's remarkable ecosystems. Leslie's graduate marine science work and her years as a school social worker inform her science poetry and her three science-infused novels for young readers.
When Leslie isn't working on a new book, you'll find her exploring local nature with her binoculars and camera, on a far-flung wildlife adventure, strapping on SCUBA gear with her dive-buddy husband, or romping with her pup Wynnie.
Leslie speaks at regional and national conferences and offers lively and engaging in-person and virtual author visits worldwide. Connect with Leslie through her website www.lesliebulion.com, Leslie Bulion on Facebook, and check out her Instagram nature photos at LeslieBulion.

Designer and illustrator Robert Meganck recently retired as professor of illustration, graphic design, digital imaging, and color theory at Virginia Commonwealth University. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Center for Creative Studies in Detroit, Michigan, and a Master of Fine Arts degree from Cranbrook Academy of Art in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. He has received over 300 regional, national, and international awards for illustration and graphic design work, and has been recognized for excellence by such organizations as The Society of Illustrators New York and The Society of Illustrators Los Angeles. Robert has illustrated twelve picture books for children. He loves the mutualistic partnership that began with Peachtree in 2017.