Nalini Nadkarni, also known as the “Queen of the Forest Canopy”, is a celebrated ecologist who pioneered the use of mountain-climbing equipment to study the rainforest canopies of Costa Rica in the 1980s. In 2019, Mattel introduced a Barbie doll based on Nadkarni! Nadkarni frequently goes into prisons to teach the inmates about trees.

Neon Squid creates beautiful nonfiction books for inquisitive kids (and kids at heart). We believe the most amazing stories are real ones, so our books are for children who want to decipher ancient scrolls, orbit distant stars, and dive into the deepest oceans. Our books are a labor of love—written by experts, illustrated by the best artists around, and produced using the finest materials, including sustainably sourced paper. We hope that by reading them kids are encouraged to further explore the world around them.