Entire ecosystems rest on the shoulders (or tentacles, or jointed exoskeletons) of animal babies; it’s time we paid them more attention. In Nursery Earth, researcher Danna Staaf invites readers to explore these tiny, secret lives, revealing some of nature’s strangest and most ingenious workings. A salamander embryo breathes with the help of algae inside its cells. The young grub of a Goliath beetle dwarfs its parents. Fluffy flamingo chicks delay turning pink for years to let adults know they’re not mating rivals and to encourage friendly behavior.

Our bias toward adult animals (not least because babies can be hard to find) means these wonders have long gone under-researched. But for all kinds of animals, if we overlook their babies, we miss out on the most fascinating—and consequential—time in their lives. Nursery Earth makes the case that these young creatures are not just beings in progress but beings in their own right. Our planet needs them all: the maggots as much as the kittens!