If you Save a Pelican...

Plight of the Pelican: How Science Saved a Species (Books for a Better Earth) 

by Jessica Stremer; illus. by Gordy Wright 

40 pages; ages 5-8

Holiday House, 2025   

theme: birds, endangered species, conservation

 For millions of years, pelicans have flown over Earth, skimming the salty sea breeze…

… then diving down to scoop and gulp the fish in the ocean. But in the 1950’s something started happening. Fewer pelican chicks were born – and pelicans weren’t the only birds with declining birth rates. The problem: thin eggshells caused by bioaccumulation of a pesticide, DDT. This book shows how action by scientists and farmers and just regular folks helped save the pelicans. And the eagles.

What I like about this book: What begins as a lyrical flight of words across a page grows into a call for action. Author Jessica Stremer shows how scientists began questioning the role of – and fate of – DDT as it spread from fields to streams and the ocean, from insects to fish to pelicans. I like how she asks questions on the page – even as laws prohibited the use of certain chemicals, could pelicans be saved? And now, even the list of plants and animals threatened by environmental risks grows, Stremer shows that we know what to do.

Back matter focuses on the history of the environmental movement, the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency, and passage of the endangered species act. There’s more information about the pelicans and about how DDT harms birds. And there’s a short – but important – list of ways kids can “be the change.”

After finishing this book, I knew I had to ask Jessica One Question!

Me: How can adults best support their children’s work to make the world a better place for pelicans and other animals?

Jessica: I think one of the best things adults can do to support their kids is to find out what activities most interest them and enable that interest. If they have a child who likes to tinker, maybe they can build some type of wildlife habitat together. If they have a child who likes to explore the outdoors, take a hike somewhere new. Bring a bag for picking up trash and a journal for some quiet time of observation. The more we invite children to be part of the natural world, the more they'll feel a sense of duty to care for it.

Thank you, Jessica! Jessica is a member of #STEAMTeam2025. She’s talked about her books a couple of times here on the blog: Great Carrier Reef and Fire Escape . You can find out more about her at her website, www.jessicastremer.com

Beyond the Books:

Make a pelican – or an entire flock of them – out of paper plates. Here’s how. 

Test how strong eggs are. The dome shape of eggs is what lends them their strength (at least when they’re not affected by DDT). If you’ve got some eggs, a few bottle caps and a pile of books, you can test how strong an egg is. This video shows how. 

Read more about threats to birds and meet some of the birds on the brink of extinction (here’s an article to get you started). What can you do to bring awareness to the need for bird conservation?

Today we’re joining Perfect Picture Book Friday. It’s a wonderful gathering where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. Review copies provided by the publishers.

Helping Species Survive

The Great Giraffe Rescue: Saving the Nubian Giraffes 

by Sandra Markle

40 pages; ages 9-12

Millbrook Press, 2023

Didn’t we just talk about giraffes a couple of weeks ago? Ah, yes – but those were math giraffes, and these are Nubian giraffes. And they have a problem. “People,” says Sandra Markle, “were destroying giraffe habitats as they dug into the land for its natural resources or cleared it for farms, roads, and homes.” Add to that the threats from oil drilling – well, you can see why giraffes might need a bit of help. 

When oil drillers laid out plans to begin drilling in one part of Uganda’s Murchison Falls National Park, wildlife scientists knew they had to move giraffes to another part of the park to preserve the population. There was only one small problem: to get to the other part of the park required crossing a river, and there was no bridge.

What I like about this book: I like how Sandra Markle sets up the problem (how do you move a herd of giraffes) and then shows how wildlife scientists solved it. Along the way she includes a lesson on giraffe biology, “Nubian Giraffe 101” and plenty of sidebars. Readers learn how interconnected giraffes are with the trees and savanna. The illustrations make you feel like you’re right there in the field with the wildlife scientists and conservation workers.

Raising Don: The True Story of a Spunky Baby Tapir 

by Georgeanne Irvine 

36 pages; ages 8-12

‎San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Press, 2022

When a baby tapir is born, everyone at the zoo is excited – except his mom. She wants nothing to do with him. A first-time mother, maybe she was surprised by his birth? wondered the animal caretakers. So they snuggled and fed the cute spotty and striped baby and named him Don.

But how can people teach a young tapir what he needs to know to survive? For one thing, tapirs learn to swim from their moms. Don’s humans got him started in swimming lessons by enticing him into a kiddie’s wading pool. They slowly introduced him to new animals. And bit by bit, Don began to learn the ways of his species.

What I like about this book: I like the honesty about what’s involved in raising a zoo baby by hand. And author, Georgeanne Irvine shares the inside scoop, as she has worked at the San Diego Zoo. I also like that backmatter highlights things families can do to help wildlife.

Thanks for dropping by today. On Monday we'll be hanging out at Marvelous Middle Grade Monday with other  bloggers. It's over at Greg Pattridge's blog, Always in the Middle, so hop over to see what other people are reading. Review copies provided by the publishers.

A Lullaby for Endangered Babies

Where the Wee Ones Go: A Bedtime Wish for Endangered Animals  

by Karen Jameson; illus. by Zosienka 

36 pages; ages 3-5

‎Chronicle Books, 2022

theme: animals, sleep, conservation

When the stars are out and the moon’s above, 

where do the wee ones go, my love?

Where do the wee ones go?

The sweet lullaby that is this book takes children around the world to see how baby animals go to bed. An orangutan baby snuggles on its mama’s chest, a koala cozies up in mother’s pouch, and a condor chick is safely wedged on a rocky ledge. From rainforest caves to savannah plains to rocky cliffs high above the ocean, each baby animal has a warm, safe place to fall asleep.

What I like about this book: The text is so lyrical it is like reading a lullaby. These gentle rhymes will rock even the most reluctant youngster to sleep. Whether it’s an otter mom and babe drifting hand-in-hand upon the ocean swells or baby hippos draped across their mothers’ backs, the gentle rhythm and rhyme will sooth the savage beast. 

The illustrations are filled with soft colors and soft edges. Images add details about the habitats, such as strands of leafy seaweeds wrapped around the otters. 

This is a perfect book for Earth Day – or any day – as it spotlights the bedtime rituals of some of the most endangered animals on our planet. While there is a brief author’s note on the copyright page, I was left wishing for back matter. 

Karen was kind enough to answer One Question:

me: Can you talk about how you chose which endangered animals to feature in the book? 

Karen: My research started with a world map of endangered animals from the San Diego Zoo website.  I wanted to represent a variety of animal classifications - mammals, birds, reptiles, etc. - from around the globe.  Geography and habitats were purposefully woven into the stanzas to give a true sense of the animals' homes in the wild. Of course, being a bedtime book for young children, the animals' diverse sleep habits were key, as well. From otters wrapping their babies in kelp, to condors perched high on rocky ledges, and polar bears in dens of snow, each animal has its own unique way of sleeping.

Beyond the Books:

How do the animals living around you go to sleep? Maybe you have pets… or there are squirrels and birds that live in your backyard or neighborhood. What sorts of nests and beds to they make?

What is your going-to-sleep ritual? And what sort of warm and safe nest do you go to sleep in?

Karen is a member of #STEAMTeam2022. You can find out more about her at her website.

Today we're joining Perfect Picture Book Friday, an event where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. Review copy provided by the publisher.

B-C-D-E... What if we Begin With a Bee?

 

Begin with a Bee 

by Liza Ketchum, Jacqueline Briggs Martin, & Phyllis Root; illus. by Claudia McGehee 

40 pages; ages 4-9

Univ. Of Minnesota Press, 2021

theme: bees, life cycle, seasons

What’s inside this hole in the ground? One bee.

That bee is a rusty-patched bumble bee, and when she emerges from the ground, she will be ready to start her very own colony. She flies from flower to flower, sipping nectar and collecting pollen. She also searches for a place to raise her young: an old mouse burrow, a mole hole – underground is best. (Though I once discovered a bumble bee building a nest in a forgotten straw bale…)

Bumble bee nests are not like honey bee nests at all! Instead of building a waxy comb of cells, the bumble bee queen crafts wax pots for her eggs.

What I like about this book: I love the fun language. For example, when the eggs hatch:

Are they bees yet?

No.

Little white grubs,

no eyes, no legs, 

eating machines.

photo by Ilona Loser, creative commons

When they go through the pupa stages: Now are they bees? In love the “are we there yet” questions. But finally – finally! – they are bees. And boy, do they have work to do. Clean the nest. Gather food. Care for larvae. Then bee season ends, and the bees die. Except for one bee, snugly hibernating in her hole. Next year’s queen that will start the cycle again.

I also love the illustrations – scratchboard art by Claudia McGehee. It looks like woodcut lines.

And, need I say, there is Back Matter! More information on the endangered rusty-patched bumble bee and a list of then things we can all do to Be a Friend to Bees.

Beyond the Books:

Get to know your local bumble bees. They are usually so intent on collecting pollen that they won’t notice you, so you can get close enough to get a good look. If you have a camera, click bee pics so you can identify them later. Make sure to jot down notes: How big is this bumble bee? What colors of stripes does it have? What time of day is it – some bumble bees are early risers, some work later? 

Follow a bumble bee around. What color of flowers does she visit? How long does she stay on one flower? If you have a watch with a second hand, you can time her. How many flowers does she visit before she flies away home? And are they close together or in a line?

Try writing a story about your bumble bees with a friend or two. Begin with a Bee was written by three authors. “Writing is most often a solitary act,” Jacqueline Briggs Martin wrote on her blog. “We sit with paper and pencil, or computer, by ourselves, and build a story word by word, tear it down, build it again. But there is another kind of writing—collaboration—when we work with friends to create a story that is richer, more textured than what one writer alone might do.” You can read more here.

Draw a picture of one of the bumble bees that visits flowers in your neighborhood. Then check out this video in which Claudia talks about her process in illustrating Begin with a Bee (a 15-minute segment). She did a lot of research, and was surprised to learn just how different bumble bees are from honey bees. She even discovered a rusty-patched bumble bee in her own garden!

 

Check out this activity workbook (maze, coloring pages, and more) from the publisher.

Some resources for curious bumble bee watchers:

Bumble Bee Watch ~ https://www.bumblebeewatch.org/

Great Sunflower Project ~ https://www.greatsunflower.org/

Xerces Society ~ https://www.xerces.org/

We'll join Perfect Picture Book Friday when it resumes. PPBF is an event where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. Review copy provided by the publisher.

A True Blue Treasure Hunt!

Rare and Blue: Finding Nature's Treasures 
by Constance Van Hoven; illus. by Alan Marks
48 pages; ages 7-10
Charlesbridge, 2020


theme: nature, color, exploration

How do you find nature’s treasures, both rare and blue? Set off on a hunt!

This book takes readers on a nonfiction treasure hunt to discover eight species that are blue. Not only that, they are naturally rare, or threatened or endangered. And there’s a lot to discover: the Karner blue butterfly, a blue lobster, bluestem grass, and the Cerulean warbler.

What I like about this book: One spread introduces a habitat and presents a clue … leaving the answer to the mystery just beyond the page turn. For example, if you are hiking in a forest then listen carefully for the “zray, zray, zray, zreee…” It’s a cerulean warbler up in the tall trees.

There are so many other things to like in this book. The details about each plant or animal. The different ways of seeing blue: sapphire, cerulean, silvery, indigo. The illustrations that invite you to look and look again. The surprise ending that celebrates our “blue planet.” And, of course, Back Matter – where you can learn some cool words and discover more facts about the plants and animals featured in the book.

Beyond the Books:

Go on a Blue treasure hunt of your own. What blue animals and plants do you find in the nature around you? Maybe you will find Bachelor buttons in a garden, or an Indigo bunting perched on a branch. A zoo or arboretum might be good place to hunt for blue.

Look for little blue bugs. Scientists recently found a rare blue bee in Florida. Other people have found blue beetles and blue “roly-polies” or woodlice. So next time you’re in the garden or moving the compost or wood pile, pay attention to the little critters.

What’s your favorite color? Grab a thesaurus and find out how many different words there are for that color. Or visit the Color Thesaurus.

You can find a bunch of book-related educational activity pages here.

Today we're joining Perfect Picture Book Friday, an event where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. Review copy provided by the publisher.

Endangered Pollinators

 Pollinators are keystone species in natural ecosystems. But habitat loss, climate change, and use of agricultural pesticides contribute greatly to population decline and disrupt ecological interactions.

One of these endangered pollinators is the Rusty Patched bumble bee (Bombus affinis). They formerly inhabited the eastern coast of the United States and extended west through the Midwest towards Minnesota and North Dakota. Now you can find them only on a fraction of this region.

From bees to butterflies to bats - and even birds - you can learn about endangered pollinators, and the plants they associate with, over at the Pollinator Partnership - and even download a full-sized poster.

Here Be Dragons

Remember tales of knights and dragons? And maps where off in the corner fancy lettering claimed "Here be Dragons"? This trio of books introduces dragons and their smaller kin.

The Lizard Lady
by Jennifer Keats Curtis and Dr. Nicole F. Angeli; illus. by Veronica V. Jones
32 pages; ages 4-8
Arbordale, 2018

This book takes readers on a field trip through thick Caribbean forests in search of the endangered St. Croix ground lizard. The lizard doesn't live on St. Croix anymore because it was hunted to extinction by introduced mongooses. But the lizard does live on surrounding islands, and Dr. Nicole Angeli is on a mission to help them survive and thrive.

Dr. Angeli, known to all as the Lizard Lady, has to use all her senses to find these tiny, secretive reptiles. When she captures one, she takes it to her science shack where she can weigh it and make observations. Then she carefully returns the lizard to the spot she found it.

What I like about this book: the list of things the Lizard Lady carries with her when she heads off on a hike! Waaay more stuff than a notebook and pen. I also like the back matter. There's information and maps showing St. Croix and the surrounding islands in the Caribbean. There's additional information on the St. Croix lizard and its adaptation, as well as the invasive mongoose. And there's a great bio-note on Dr. Angeli.

You can learn more about St, Croix ground lizards here and here.

St. Croix lizards are just one of many threatened and endangered reptile species. Another is the Komodo dragon - not a dragon at all, but it sure looks like one!

Real Dragons
by Jennifer Szymanski
48 pages; ages 2-5
National Geographic Children's Books, 2018

Magical dragons may not exist, but many animals look like dragons. And some even do things a dragon might do. Some lizards have frilly collars, some have spikes, and some hiss when threatened by enemies.One even has saliva that burns like fire... and another can fly - or at least glide.

What I like about this book: it introduces a diversity of reptiles that share "dragon-like" features. The book is divided into chapters, there's a table of contents, and an activity at the end of each chapter. Here's one you can do right now: draw a picture of your very own dragon!

With all this talk of dragons, it makes sense to connect with a real live dragon ...

Dear Komodo Dragon
by Nancy Kelly Allen; illus. by Laurie Allen Klein
32 pages; ages 4-9
Arbordale, 2018

Leslie wants to be a dragon hunter when she grows up. She is really lucky, because a real dragon is her pen pal - a Komodo dragon living on one of the Indonesian islands. The story is told through a series of letters back and forth, in which Komo describes his life and family.

"My spiffy good looks come from the third eye in the top of my head," he writes. The illustrations are fun - I especially like Leslie's drawings of dragons, and the dragon-hunting tunic she wears. But when Komo is injured by a bigger dragon, Leslie realizes that she cares about her big reptilian friend too much to hunt him down.

"What can I do to help you and other Komodo dragons?" she writes. Komo replies, and the conversation on that topic is carried into back matter where there's a page about conservation. There is a fun page of dragon facts "by the numbers" and information on adaptations. Learn more about Komodo dragons here.

Today we're joining the STEM Friday roundup.   On any other Friday we'd be joining others over at Perfect Picture Book Friday, but it's summer vacation. PPBF will resume in September, but you can always head over to Susanna Hill's ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books. Review copies from publishers.

Back from the Brink ~ Saving Animals from Extinction

 Back from the Brink: Saving animals from extinction
by Nancy F. Castaldo
176 pages; ages 10-12
HMH Books for Young Readers, 2018

"We are not alone on this great spinning planet," writes Nancy Castaldo. "Alongside us are countless creatures with whom we share the earth's space and resources. Sometimes we collide, and when we do, it's usually the animals that lose out."

In the introduction, Nancy discusses preservation, the Endangered Species Act, and how humans can work together to help repair some of the damage done to wildlife populations. Individual chapters highlight whooping cranes, gray wolves, bald eagles, the giant Galapagos tortoises, American alligators, California condors, and American bison.

Having never had the opportunity to visit the Galapagos, I was intrigued to learn about the tortoises. They are big - weighing 500 or more pounds - and live a long time. One tortoise, owned by Charles Darwin in 1835, died in 2006! These tortoises are crucial member of their ecosystems, Nancy writes. They help distribute seed for plants that, in turn, provide food for birds and lizards.

 The problem: goats. Goats introduced to the islands have destroyed the forests that provide important shade and moisture for the tortoises. People brought goats to the island; people can help remove them so the island ecosystem can recover and provide a safe home for the tortoises. Nancy shows how that is happening on one of the island, allowing tortoises to come back from the brink of extinction.

I love the way Nancy ends with a Call to Action. There are specific things that people - even kids - can do to help preserve wildlife. For example, planting native plants could help save endangered butterflies. Making sure your microtrash (bottle caps and other small plastic bits) ends up in the trash bin keeps plastic out of the mouths of wildlife. Preserving wetlands in your area will help the birds and other wildlife that depend on those habitats. Reducing the use of herbicides and other pesticides will keep birds - and humans - healthier.

Today we're joining the STEM Friday roundup. Review copy from publisher.

Call of the Osprey

The Call of the Osprey
by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent; photos by William Munoz
80 pages; ages 10 & up
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015

This is another in the brilliant "Scientist in the Field" series. Patent and Munoz focus their sights on University of Montana scientists studying a pair of Osprey they have named Iris and Stanley. The book opens with the team fixing a bird camera prior to breeding season.

Bird cams are wonderful inventions - you can check some out here. Every spring we watch a pair of red-tailed hawks that nest up at Cornell University. The cameras, located close to the nest, allow us to watch the eggs hatch, the parents feed nestlings, and first flights. But I never thought about the work that goes into placing and maintaining the cameras.

Like "our" red-tailed hawks, the U of M osprey nest high in the tops of dead trees. Or on light posts - wherever they can find a platform to build their nests.

Each fall, the osprey head south, and each spring they return from their winter home in Belize. The osprey nest along rivers, as they are fishing birds. They are well-adapted to that life, with rough spines on their feet that allow them to hold onto their slippery, flopping prey as they fly back to the nest. Osprey don't have many enemies - except for nest predators - and they're pretty tolerant of human activity. The biggest danger they face comes from loss of habitat and environmental contaminants.

Whatever chemicals - insecticides, herbicides, petroleum products - end up in the environment eventually get washed into the river. Whatever gets into the river gets into the fish. And whatever gets into the fish ends up in the osprey, whether it's DDT or heavy metals. So, as the scientists band the osprey, they collect samples of blood and feathers. They also spend a lot of time removing plastic baling twine from the nests. Unlike jute baling twine, the plastic doesn't degrade, and chicks can get tangled up in it, strangled, and die. There's a sobering photograph of twine they removed from a single osprey nest - stretched out it measures a quarter of a mile! 

Today's review is part of the STEM Friday roundup. Drop by STEM Friday blog for more science books and resources. Review copy from the publisher.

Bilby Secrets

Bilby: Secrets of an Australian Marsupial
by Edel Wignell; illus. by Mark Jackson
32 pages; ages 5-9
Candlewick Press, 2014

Theme: nonfiction, endangered animals

opening: In the moonlight, Bilby canters - tail aloft like a banner - across the spiny grass and enters a steeply sloping, spiral tunnel.

This book, originally published in Australia a few years ago, introduces a shy, nocturnal animal. The bilby lives in remote arid and semi-arid areas in the northern part of Western Australia. It looks something like a rabbit, something like a possum, and something like a fluffy-tailed cat, but with strong back legs that can kick a predator and dig a burrow.

Bilbies are secretive creatures, living in burrows, hunting at night.They munch on termites, seeds, and fruit. When threatened, they can disappear from sight within three minutes. Unfortunately, they're threatened with habitat loss that could lead to permanent disappearance.

This book tells the story of a young bilby out on his own for the first time. He meets friends and foe, forages for himself, and figures out how to live in his desert world.

What I like about this book: The illustrations are warm - especially nice to look at when surrounded by ice and snow! I like that there's a forward telling about the status of bilbies, and an index at the back so we don't have to flip through the entire book for that one fact we wanted to note down.

Beyond the book: Learn more about Bilbies from the Perth Zoo (there are two videos of bilby babies).
Bilbies have been around millions of years. Here's an article about a recent find of bilby fossils.
Make a mask -even if it isn't International Bilby Day (yet - that happens in September.)

Today is STEM Friday - head over to the STEM Friday blog to see what other bloggers are reviewing. It's also PPBF (perfect picture book Friday) over at  Susanna Leonard Hill's site. She keeps an ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books.  Review copy provided by publisher.
 

A Boy and a Jaguar

A Boy and a Jaguar
By Alan Rabinowitz; illus. by Catia Chien
32 pages; ages 4-8
HMH Books for young readers, 2014

This is a true story about a boy, his connection to animals, and how he became the "Indiana Jones of wildlife conservation".

themes: nonfiction, autobiography, animals

"I'm standing in the great cat house at the Bronx Zoo. Why is this jaguar kept in a bare room? I wonder. I lean toward my favorite animal and whisper to her."

Alan Rabinowitz loves the jaguar. He can talk to her. He also loves his chameleon, gerbil, and snake. He can talk to them, too. The only animals he can't talk to are human. Alan stutters, and no one - not his dad or his teachers - can understand him. So when he talks to his animals, Alan promises that if he can ever find his voice, he will be their voice and keep them from harm.

When he grows up, Alan studies jaguars. But they are being hunted nearly to extinction. Alan knows he has to protect them - and that means talking to government officials.

What I like about this book: It is full of hope - for children and for animals. And I like that Alan tells his own story, and that he still talks to jaguars (and other cats). In an interview on NPR Alan says that all children go through periods in their live where they feel misunderstood or shut off from the human world - whether they have a disability or just something inside them that makes them different from everyone else. "I wanted this book to speak to all of those children because I don't think adults realize, unless you've gone through it as a child, what a lasting mark such pain leaves on a young person."

Beyond the book: Have you ever talked to an animal? Cats make wonderful listeners. So do toads (they don't hop away as quickly as frogs). If you do end up talking to an animal, what sort of things might you discuss?

Visit jaguars and other wild cats at a zoo.

Alan Rabinowitz is president and CEO of Panthera, a wildlife organization dedicated to protecting the world's wild cat species. You can learn a lot about jaguars and other wild cats at Panthera.

Watch In Search of the Jaguar (free feature-length documentary)

See out what other bloggers are reviewing over at the STEM Friday blog. Today's review is also part of PPBF (perfect picture book Friday), an event in which bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's site. She keeps an ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books. Review copy provided by the publisher.

The Case of the Vanishing Bats

The Case of the Vanishing Brown Bats

By Sandra Markle

48 pages; ages 9-12

Millbrook Press, 2014

If you're looking for a perfect Halloween mystery, this book's for you. You see, little brown bats were once among the most common kinds of bats in North America. But by 2013, their population had dropped so low that scientists wondered whether they should be listed as endangered species. 

[perfect spot for spooky musical interlude]

This story begins in 2007, when a team of scientists from the NY State Dept. of Environmental Conservation goes to a cave near Albany. Their job: to count hibernating bats. What they found were lots of dead bats, some with fuzzy white noses. The following year they found even more dead bats.

What was killing the bats? Was it climate change? Pesticides? A virus?

In her book, Sandra Markle follows a team of scientists working on the bat-killer mystery. She follows them into caves and into their labs. The scientists determine that the killer is a fungus – but they still have more questions: what will happen to the populations of other animals that depend on the bats? Some animals rely on bats for their suppers, and farmers rely in bats to control crop-munching insects in the ecosystem.

Markle provides amazing bat facts and lists ways people can help their local bats. She’s also got a long list of books and other resources for folks who want to explore bats more deeply.

Today is Halloween. It's also STEM Friday! Head over to the STEM Friday blog to see what other people are reviewing. On Monday we'll join the roundup over at the Nonfiction Monday blog where you'll find even more book reviews. Review copy provided by publisher

Chasing Cheetahs ~ Saving Africa's Fastest Cats

Chasing Cheetahs: The Race to Save Africa's Fastest Cats (Scientists in the Field)
by Sy Montgomery; photos by Nic Bishop
80 pages; ages 10- 14
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014

A full-grown cheetah weighs about 90 pounds and can run 70 miles per hour - as fast as a car driving on a highway. It can go from zero to 40 in three steps, but after a few hundred yards it has to stop for a rest, or it will overheat.

These fast cats live in one place: Africa. But they are endangered and, without help, may go extinct. This book shows how Laurie Marker - and other scientists working with the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia - is working to preserve remaining cheetah populations. Saving cheetahs, she says, is about more than saving the big cats. "It's about antelopes and birds, leopards and giraffes, soil and trees, dogs and goats." That's because, if you save the cheetahs you end up saving all of the other plants and animals in that ecosystem.

One strategy is to use dogs to save cats. Farmers shoot cheetahs because the big cats take goats from their herds. But in cases where herds are protected by large dogs, cheetahs don't bother the livestock. Instead, they chase down wild game. So Laurie's strategy: give a dog to every farmer, and teach them how to protect their flocks so both wild and domestic animals can share the landscape.

In one chapter Sy Montgomery and Nic Bishop take us on a forensic expedition to determine which cheetahs have been in an area, and what those cheetahs are eating. Using DNA from scat and hairs left behind, scientists can figure out whether cheetahs are dining on gazelles or goats. They also check in with a wildlife vet for some hands-on lessons on cheetah health.

I particularly like how the book ends with Laurie's "advice for saving the world". Her first (and most important) bit of wisdom: "Don't wait for 'somebody' to do it." If you're ever thinking that "somebody should do something", then that somebody might be you. Her last and just-as-important words of advice: "We can save the world. There's no reason we can't. But we have to actively do it." Everyone- even kids- can do something to make this world a better place.

Today is STEM Friday! Head over to the STEM Friday blog to see what other people are reviewing. On Monday we'll join the roundup over at the Nonfiction Monday blog where you'll find even more book reviews. Review copy provided by publisher
 

Park Scientists: Gila Monsters, Geysers, and Grizzly Bears!

I've got a basket full of  new "Scientists in the Field" books - so this month we're heading out on some armchair field trips.

Park Scientists: Gila Monsters, Geysers, and Grizzly Bears in America’s Own Backyard

Scientists in the Field series

by Mary Kay Carson; photos by Tom Uhlman

80 pages; ages 10-14

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014

The National Park Service is nearly 100 years old (their anniversary is 2016) and for all those years the rangers and park scientists have been studying the best ways to preserve and protect the landscape, plants and animals. 

"Because national parks are protected places, researchers are able to do long-term studies of ecosystems, geysers, and climate," writes Mary Kay Carson. They don't have to worry that their natural laboratory will be clear-cut for a mall or highway project.

In this book, Carson and photographer Tom Uhlman document scientists at work in three of our most popular national parks: Yellowstone, Saguaro, and Great Smoky Mountains. She opens each section with a park brief: how big, how many visitors, when it was established, and reasons to visit. Then she takes us into the field with the park scientists.

In Yellowstone (our oldest national park, established in 1872 by Ulysses S. Grant) we head into a hot spot to learn more about why the temperatures are rising. But first, everyone has to suit up with protective clothing and heat-resistant boots. Then there's the science gear: infrared camera, temperature probes, gas detectors and more. On another trip into the field we learn how scientists apply GPS technology to track and manage grizzly bears.

Then it's down to Arizona to track Gila monsters and count cacti. From there it's a cross-country trek to the Smoky Mountains which really do live up to their name. We head into the forests on a salamander safari - the Smokies are home to more than thirty species of salamanders. Data from the salamander study indicate that a rise in the earth's temperature will erase much of the red-cheeked salamander habitat. The good news? There will be some refuges where the salamanders can thrive. 

Carson ends with an evening light show: fireflies in the Smokies. There's a wonderful glossary at the end, some sources (for those who want to dig deeper) and an index that makes it easier to revisit cool stuff you forgot to bookmark. Oh, and did I mention the abundant and awesome photos?

Check out the trailer for the book here. Then head on over to the STEM Friday blog to see what other people are reviewing. And on Monday we'll join the roundup over at the Nonfiction Monday blog where you'll find even more book reviews. Review copy provided by publisher.

Sea Turtle Scientist

Sea Turtle Scientist 
(Scientist in the Field series)

By Stephen R. Swinburne

80 pages; ages 10-14

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014

Leatherbacks have a tough life – only one egg out of a thousand will produce an adult sea turtle. Hatchlings no bigger than matchbox cars push themselves across the sand towards the ocean. If they’re lucky enough to make it without becoming a meal for some other animal, they’ve got more challenges in the sea.

In this book, Steve Swinburne takes readers to St. Kitts island, where Dr. Kimberly Stewart has spent her life studying the leatherback turtles. He takes you out into the field on a midnight search for nesting leatherbacks. There – in the red beam of Kimberly’s headlamp – it’s an 800-pound sea turtle.

“She shimmers as the last of the seawater runs off her huge frame,” writes Swinburne. “Facing away from the sea, the female leatherback uses her three-foot-long front flippers to throw sand.” Finally, after scooping a hole about 28-inches deep, the female leatherback begins to drop her eggs – “…wet, gleaming white eggs the size of billiard balls…” and one of the turtle-watchers races to count them. Meanwhile, another records measurements while Kimberly takes a blood sample and tags the female.

Swinburne fills the pages with photos – some of the nighttime field trip to tag the turtles – as well as turtle science, history, and an honest discussion of modern threats to the sea turtles. Fishing and habitat loss account for many deaths. Then there’s marine debris – like all that plastic that ends up in the ocean, and eventually in the stomach of a turtle.  Swinburne also includes a profile of an unlikely turtle ally: a former turtle fisherman who now patrols the island and protects the turtles.

There are plenty of sidebars, a chapter on how a community came together to save the turtles, and even a list of “must-haves” for your Turtle-Watching Toolkit. Backmatter includes a glossary, advice on how to adopt a sea turtle, list of resources, and an index.

 Drop by STEM Friday to see what other science books and resources bloggers are sharing. Review copy provided by the publisher.