We Are the Keystones

[An] illuminating science-led appreciation from Duffield (Crossings) and Salyer (Rain and the Reading Horse): “All throughout the nature-hoods,/ in marshes, grasslands, water, woods,/ they help themselves—help others too—/ just by doing what they do.” Wolves, grizzly bears, tiger sharks, parrotfish, and even the southern cassowary all receive their due… . Accompanying captions provide further ecological insights, touching, for example, on the way beaver dams filter water as well as create ponds that become habitats for other aquatic dwellers. Digitally finished gouache paintings with luminous accents impressionistically render the featured organisms with vibrant, cool-toned hues … Earth’s interconnectedness comes to the fore in this incantatory homage. – Publishers Weekly * 7/10/2026 *
Salutes to 11 creatures that work in sometimes surprising ways to help their wild communities. Writing in rhyming lines with lucid explanatory glosses in prose, Duffield points out animals “throughout the nature-hoods, / in marshes, grasslands, water, woods” that help themselves and others survive and spread—often in subtle ways… Salyer varies the tonal quality of her illustrations; some scenes look natural, while others seem viewed through color filters… the images of wildlife are rendered with careful attention to detail; misty glimpses fore and aft of a marveling young observer evoke a proper sense of wonder at the beginning and end. A cogent introduction to an important ecological concept. – Kirkus * 7/1/2026 *

Katy S. Duffield is the author of more than twenty-five books for children, including the celebrated Crossings: Extraordinary Structures for Extraordinary Animals, which was an ALA/ALSC Notable Book, a Bank Street Best Book of the Year, and the recipient of the Eureka! Excellence in Nonfiction Gold Award. She lives in Florida with her husband and her wild and crazy Australian Shepherd.

Hannah Salyer received her BFA in illustration and communication design, with a minor in environmental studies, from Pratt Institute. She resides in Brooklyn, New York, where she writes and illustrates picture books, including her own Packs: Strength in Numbers and Ancestory: The Mystery and Majesty of Ancient Cave Art, as well as This Wolf Was Different by Katie Slivensky. She also teaches art classes for young kids and illustration classes for undergrad students at Parsons School of Design.

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