A Riddle of Eels by Nicholas Day, illustrated by Corey R. Tabor, is a playful nonfiction picture book about one of the world’s most mysterious creatures. With five starred reviews, this unusual blend of science, history, humor, and philosophy encourages children to delight in everything we still do not know.
A Riddle of Eels has been added to my September 2026 – New Release Spotlight list on Amazon.
Author: Nicholas Day
Illustrator: Corey R. Tabor
Genre: informational picture book
Setting: freshwater rivers in Europe and North America; the Atlantic Ocean; the Sargasso Sea; various historical periods
Themes: curiosity, scientific inquiry, limits of human knowledge, discovery, wonder, changing scientific understanding, respect for the natural world, STEM, eels, animal life cycles, migration, Sargasso Sea, marine biology, scientific history, conservation
Recommended for: PreS-Grade 5
Starred reviews: Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, Hornbook, SLJ, and Booklist
Publication date: September 8, 2026
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
Eels are common fish, but much of their life cycle remains strangely elusive. Scientists know that American and European eels travel thousands of miles to reproduce in the Sargasso Sea—but no one has ever witnessed them being born. Researchers have not even found a full-grown eel near the suspected breeding grounds.
For thousands of years, the mystery has inspired some imaginative explanations. Aristotle believed eels emerged from mud, while Pliny the Elder proposed that they reproduced by scraping themselves against rocks. Later scientists followed eels across the Atlantic in search of more convincing answers, only to uncover additional questions.
Day presents this curious history with a conversational, gently teasing tone. Each confident theory eventually meets an amused “Actually…” as new discoveries reveal how incomplete human knowledge can be.
MORE THAN AN ANIMAL BOOK
A Riddle of Eels shares fascinating information about eels, but its larger subject is curiosity itself. How can people study something for centuries and still understand so little about it?
Rather than treating uncertainty as frustrating, Day presents it as exciting. The gaps in our knowledge remind us that the natural world remains vast, surprising, and filled with discoveries waiting to be made. This makes the book an excellent choice for introducing scientific inquiry, changing theories, and the idea that science grows by continually asking new questions.
SLIPPERY, EXPRESSIVE ILLUSTRATIONS
Corey R. Tabor’s watercolor, colored-pencil, ink, and digitally assembled illustrations give the eels plenty of movement and personality. Graceful, smiling eels glide through scenes from prehistory to the present, while playful visual details gently poke fun at some of history’s more questionable theories.
As the book progresses, the artwork becomes moodier and more abstract, capturing both the eel’s watery world and the wonder of the unknown. An author’s note discusses the alarming decline in eel populations, adding an important ecological dimension to this funny, thought-provoking read.
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