Earwigo Again!

by Darcy White

Against the backdrop of urban living and an ever-increasing reliance on screens, it can be difficult to appreciate the alarming extent to which we are living in an age of environmental breakdown and biodiversity loss. In this context, how can we help our children enjoy a sense of wonder in the natural world around them – and keep it alive?

One way is through sharing stories about the natural world, especially when they are brought to life with absorbing illustrations.

I met up with two local creatives in a Sheffield bookstore: children’s author Andy Evans and illustrator Lucy Fleming; together they have produced two wonderful books of stories based on the ‘Adventures of Erig the Earwig!’ (5-8yrs).

Many of us have become disengaged from nature, yet there is plenty of evidence that a deepening appetite for the natural world is emerging. A look at the books on display showed this in abundance! I wanted to understand why Andy and Lucy decided to focus their attention on the natural world and especially on insects, and how they went about conveying ‘the wonder of it all’.

Their first book, ‘The Little Adventures of Erig the Earwig!’ published in 2024, won several awards. It’s packed full of delightful individual stories that follow the adventurous little Erig, with his catchphrase ‘Earwigo again!’, as he learns to prepare himself for adult life.

The second book, ‘The Further Adventures of Erig the Earwig!’, 2025, is even better! As we follow Erig’s journey of life-lessons, we learn about the natural world and encounter the seasonal changes that impact the creatures in that world. A third volume is in the pipeline, which will take the characters on some more global adventures.

The project began with Andy’s humble aim of creating stories for his grandchildren about ‘different’ kinds of insects; the kinds that are not so often found in children’s fiction. There would be moral elements to the stories, about ties with both family and nature and about finding new friends who help one another. Andy has always loved the Winnie-the-Pooh stories by A.A. Milne, with their delightful illustrations by E.H. Shepard – it was this love, among other things, that inspired these books and was in Andy’s mind when he began to work with illustrator Lucy Fleming.

Writing and illustrating the books has taken a great deal of research to ensure the stories are based on the real lives, life cycles and habitats of the insect characters portrayed; Andy says there is ‘a lot of depth to the pictures and really the characters are only part of it’.

Their aim is to enable children to learn about the natural world, not in a dry, factual way, but through becoming immersed in the unfolding stories, subtly teaching children about what happens in nature. While lots of kids’ books are relatively superficial, the Erig books get into more depth and detail. They also shy away from simplistic language, helping children to develop their vocabulary: ‘the feedback we’ve had from parents is that the books are both ‘educational and fun’.

Such is the combination of fictional storytelling and factual reality that finding the right balance between real, believable insects and picture-book caricatures took some trial and error before settling upon the final drawings, which are realistic yet still have character. ‘When I created the characters purely in pen, everything clicked, and we found the style you see in the books today’. The results are stunning!

The stories evoke a positive sense of community, underpinned by wholesome values. They purposefully avoid storylines based on good and evil, too often found in books and on our screens, and there is no ‘overwhelming with doom and gloom’. Instead, the stories focus on the various creatures as they encounter everyday insect problems and, with the help of their friends and neighbours, learn how to overcome them.

Look out for messages about resilience, helping others, slowing down to appreciate and understand the natural things around us, taking action and feeling empowered by the small, yet effective, things we can do. Understanding the needs of the various creatures really helps us to see that we have an important role to play.

To raise awareness of their work and to engage children (and their families) in more direct encounters with the natural world, the team runs free, family-friendly events, such as nature trails and bug hunts. They also hold book readings in schools and libraries, and they are currently working on a school-pack of lesson plans. During the Spring Bank Holiday weekend (end of May), they will be taking part in the Chatsworth family festival: https://www.chatsworth.org/events/chatsworth-family-festival/