World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments

Nezhukumatathil describes the potoo, a bird with large eyes that “resides in Central and South America, where it gobbles up […] mosquitoes and termites” (93). Potoos never build nests, and they have a loud, distressing call. Nezhukumatathil recalls learning how to call cardinals at the age of six. Birdwatching requires stillness, and Nezhukumatathil learns to move slowly and deliberately in the outdoors. Her husband is very surprised when he first walks in on her having a “conversation” with red cardinals in their yard.

After her mother retires, Nezhukumatathil’s parents move to central Florida and plant orange trees in their yard, sharing the fruit every year with their family and neighbors. Nezhukumatathil recalls being fed lots of oranges growing up and observes her parents feeding oranges to her children. Because she gifts them oranges, Nezhukumatathil is sure of her mother’s affection for her husband and her husband’s family. She prefers cara cara oranges because of their “cherry and rose petal smell” (98), and she vastly prefers her parents’ fresh oranges to store-bought oranges.

While living on an island in Greece with her family, Nezhukumatathil hears that her hotel host, Tassos, plans to hunt for octopus. The family joins Tassos. Nezhukumatathil stays on the beach with her sons, and her husband swims with Tassos.