It’s clear Nezhukumatathil’s desire is to foster the same love and wonder for the natural world that her Indian father and Filipino mother, who are avid gardeners, fostered in her. Nezhukumatathil is an ideal guide on this journey through nature’s treasures because although she conveys her own deep curiosity and compassion for these plants and animals, her explorations never take on a stuffy professorial tone, which can make those who haven’t had many experiences with the natural world feel excluded. The “wonders” that Nezhukumatathil ponders in this slim volume run the gamut, from the familiar and beloved firefly, which receives not one but two chapters in the book, to the intimidating southern cassowary, a bird that can kill humans, to the dragon fruit, exotic to some and everyday to others. In evoking her magical memories of the firefly, she says, “In flight, it is like a loud laugh, the kind that only appears in summer, with the stink of meats sizzling somewhere down the street and the mouths of neighborhood children stained with popsicle juice and hinging open with the excitement of a ball game or tag.” Although her descriptions are filled with fascinating facts, what makes them come alive is Nezhukumatathil’s obvious astonishment and affection, which comes through in the text. She builds each chapter around one specific animal or plant species, weaving background on their habits and habitats, highlighting some of their most stunning attributes, along with how they resonate with her own life. And Nezhukumatathil’s World of Wonders is the perfect literary companion for this. This moment of pause and panic created by the pandemic is pushing people to delve into nature and to take time to savor it during the rare times we are not housebound. Perusing poet Aimee Nezhukumatathil’s previous books of poetry, flora and fauna are frequent muses so it’s not entirely surprising that World of Wonders, her first book of prose, is a meditation on nature’s bounty of plants and creatures, big and small.

World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments

Aimee nezhukumatathil world of wonder