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Open Right

Aviva Reed: Symbiosis Storytelling: Zobi and the Zoox

Session Info:

The Small Friends book series tell stories about microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, viruses) and the intimate relationships they form with larger forms of life. Written for nature lovers of all ages, the books promote the idea that cooperation, not just competition is a dominant paradigm of nature. They portray microbes in a positive light, countering misguided hysteria around ‘germs’ and hygiene and acknowledging the fundamental role that these tiny organisms play within our ecosystem.

Visual ecologist and illustrator of the series Aviva Reed collaborated with a small team of scientists, writers, artists and educators to create Zobi and the Zoox, a journey into the microscopic world at the heart of all coral reefs. Featuring a cast of molecules, microbes and mucus, the story explores the effects of a warming ocean on a tiny symbiotic community living in a coral polyp called Darian.

Aviva will present Zobi and the Zoox as a live storytelling session, followed by a Q&A and (optional) reef-inspired collaborative drawing activity.

Topics covered:
  • Symbiosis
  • Microbiology
  • Coral ecology
  • Photosynthesis
  • Nitrogen fixing
  • Adaption to climate change
  • Ecology
  • Collaboration
  • Art and Science
  • Drawing