Daddy Longlegs at Birch Lane (Soundprints Press, 1996) is a Smithsonian Picture Book for ages 4 – 7. I learned a lot about these bugs (which the encyclopedia also calls Harvesters) and enjoyed writing this combination of fiction and non-fiction. This was my first published book.
The publisher also sells a stuffed toy to accompany the book. I favored the Canadian daddy-long-legs, a humble brown, as my hero, but this time I didn’t get my way.That is why the editor insisted we spotlight the American Harvester, which is orange in color—more captivating in plush than something plainer! Sandra Blair’s illustrations are fabulous. I hadn’t seen any of the pictures until after the book was printed, and I was truly honored to have my writing come to life in her designs.
Did you know that a Harvester’s sense organs are on its two longest legs? Or that they can shake off a leg as a defense mechanism? Or that mature harvesters can squeeze a strong-smelling liquid from glands near the eyes, protecting themselves from predators such as centipedes? I learned these things and more in my fascinating journey researching these bugs.