Museum Studies

We’ve all heard the common terms for groups of animals—a pack of wolves, a school of fish—but there’s so much more! After discovering that a group of ferrets is called “a business,” artist and first-year MEPD student Sarah Asper-Smith became fascinated with the intersection of language and the natural world.
Using bold prints overlaid on vibrant colors, Asper-Smith created Have You Ever Seen a Smack of Jellyfish?: An Alphabet Book (Sasquatch Books; January 2011; $16.95) to chronicle some of the surprisingly poetic words we use to describe the magnificent animal kingdom. From an “army of ants” to a “zeal of zebras,” Asper-Smith takes the reader on a fascinating journey through the alphabet with animal groups as her guide. Her bright, graphic illustrations will appeal to little ones and their parents, while both adults and kids are sure to learn something new about animals along the way!