MINIBEASTS of Samford Valley Steiner School

Celebrated arachnologist, Norman Platnick, once wrote: ‘Wherever you sit as you read these lines, a spider is probably no more than a few yards away.’

Whether or not he was correct, his words were enough to trigger 14-year-old author Oskar Reed King’s need to find out for himself.

An avid researcher and list maker, Oskar has always been conscious of the creatures that share his world.

This, Oskar’s first published book, is the culmination of a high school project that saw him spend many hours documenting, studying, and familiarising himself with the bugs and other critters that called his school home; in particular, the dam that’s located within the school’s bushland grounds.

Oskar’s greatest hope is that by writing this book, he will inspire his fellow students and other young people to discover their own love, respect and appreciation for mini beasts … and the rest of the natural world, too.