A Wild Child's Guide to Endangered Animals

By Millie Marotta

From New York Times bestselling author Millie Marotta comes this gorgeous celebration of the animal kingdom. A Wild Child's Guide to Endangered Animals highlights the plight of 43 endangered species from around the world, including rare and well-known animals living in freshwater, oceans, forests, mountains, tundras, deserts, grasslands, and wetlands. Vivid illustrations bring caribous, axolotls, giraffes, agami herons, and many more to life on these rich and varied pages. Illuminating text relays the story of each species, from how they live and why they are endangered to what is being done about it. Complete with a map detailing where each species can still be found, this visually rich, timely, informative book raises awareness in the most spectacular way.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Chronicle Books Digital
• Release date: Oct 8, 2019
• ISBN: 9781452177038

Millie Marotta

Millie Marotta is a freelance illustrator working from her studio by the sea in a little corner of West Wales. She grew up in the wilderness of rural Wales where she developed a fascination with all things flora and fauna, which, along with intricate pattern and detail, remains an ongoing theme in her work. Millie's intention is simply to create beautiful artwork which captivates, charms, and inspires a curiosity in others for the natural world.

Book preview

Thanks

To Helen Conford and Cecilia Stein, editors extraordinaire.

To Karolina Sutton, Adam Roberts, and the team at Particular Books.

To my dear family and friends, sorely neglected while I’ve had

my head buried in research, writing, and drawing.

To the mountain of uncredited photographers whose work

I studied online to understand just exactly what olms, and so many

of the other creatures in my book, actually look like.

And to Paul, for your patience and support and

for keeping me fed and watered while I made this book,

without whom I myself might well have perished.

Finally, to all the animals that have enriched my life

and piqued my curiosity: the howler monkeys of Nicaragua,

kangaroos of the Nullarbor, albatrosses of Dunedin, caiman of Ometempe,

tree snakes of Taman Negara, red kites of mid-Wales,

birdwing butterflies of Sri Lanka, turtles of Ningaloo Reef,

the seabirds of home, and so many more.

Copyright © 2019 by Millie Marotta.

First published in the United States of America

in 2019 by Chronicle Books LLC.

Originally published in the United Kingdom

in 2019 by Particular Books.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any

form without written permission from the publisher.

ISBN 978-1-4521-7703-8 (epub, mobi)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available.

ISBN 978-1-4521-7686-4 (hardcover)

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Contents

Oceans 1

True love: Tiger Tail Seahorse 3

Girls will be boys: Humphead Wrasse 5

A slippery odyssey: European Eel 7

Accidental catch: Scalloped Hammerhead Shark 9

Helping heroes: Sea Otter 11

Asleep in mid-air: Wandering Albatross 13

Forests 15

Helping the theory of evolution: Darwin’s Fox 17

A true original: Little Dodo Bird 19

The ultimate protector: Horned Marsupial Frog 21

Take two: Black Robin 23

The anonymous owl: Blakiston’s Fish Owl 25

The forest giraffe: Okapi 27

Going the extra mile: Yellow-Eyed Penguin 29

A hard-nosed species: Chacoan Peccary 31

Deserts 33

Extreme survival: Wild Bactrian Camel 35

The new Easter bunny: Greater Bilby 37

Desert dweller: Gobi Bear 39

The world’s loneliest species: Devils Hole Pupfish 41

Fresh Water 43

Relic of the dinosaurs: Gharial 45

Isolated but not alone: Saimaa Ringed Seal 47

A living fossil: Tasmanian Giant Freshwater Lobster 49

The amphibian that never grew up: Axolotl 51

Hard to get: Agami Heron 53

Mistaken celebrity: Asian Arowana 55

Grasslands 57

Toothless giant: Giant Anteater 59

Expert recyclers: American Burying Beetle 61

Independent women: Komodo Dragon 63

The most illegally trafficked animal on Earth: Pangolin 65

The unexpected extinction: Giraffe 67

Mountains 69

Asia’s unicorn: Saola 71

No-fly zone: South Island Takahē 73

Mythical dragon of the underworld: Olm 75

A magic bunny: Ili Pika 77

A mountain-dwelling hybrid: Nilgiri Tahr 79

Tundra 81

Lemming hunter: Snowy Owl 83

Tiny traveler: Spoon-billed Sandpiper 85

The incredible shrinking reindeer: Caribou 87

Breaking and entering: Suckley Cuckoo Bumble Bee 89

Wetlands 91

Swimming for its supper: Fishing Cat 93

Friendly to a fault: Pygmy Raccoon 95

Back from the dead: Ivory-Billed Woodpecker 97

Life in the slow lane: Pygmy Three-Toed Sloth 99

If looks could kill: Shoebill 101

Where in the world? 102

What are the threats? 104

Oceans 104

Forests 104

Deserts 104

Fresh Water 104

Grasslands 105

Mountains 105

Tundra 105

Wetlands 105

How Can You Help? 106

As a child, I was obsessed with animals of every kind. Big, small, feathered or furry, those that swim, walk, fly, or slither, I wanted to learn about them all. I am just as in love with the natural world today as I was back then. But in my lifetime, much has changed for the animal kingdom. Today we are losing species more quickly than we are discovering new ones.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List tells us how well different species from all over the world are surviving and assesses

Reviews for A Wild Child's Guide to Endangered Animals

[marsap_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A Wild Child's Guide to Endangered Animals is a well-researched , beautifully illustrated book for both children and adults. The book is arranged by habitat (ocean, forest, desert, fresh water, grasslands, tundra and wetlands). Each of the 43 species Is described and the reasons for their endangerment are discussed. At the end of the book Is a map showing where all the animals live. Finally, at the last pages of the book is additional information about each animal and a list of organizations where the reader can get involved and take action—a great idea for the budding conservationist. A definite 5 out of five.

[hillaryrose7 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Gorgeously illustrated, this book shines a light on the tragedies and triumphs of some of the world's most unique and endangered creatures. Besides the artistic and naturalistic beauty of the illustrations, and the thought-provoking text, it includes a page full of ways in which the reader can help save these rare species, from starting a social media campaign to becoming a biologist. Though primarily a children's book, it would make a lovely and fascinating addition to the libraries of nature-lovers of any age.

[acrowder_7 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Beautiful, informative, and entertaining book. The perfect addition to our nature books collection.

[barb_h_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Beautiful illustrations and artwork throughout. Well written and interesting facts. This book is great for all ages.

Received a free copy via LibraryThing Early Reviewers giveaway.

[ctw-732103 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This thick, gorgeous, coffee table book will appeal to adults and children alike. The book is divided into sections focusing on different habitats (ocean, forest, mountains, etc), and each spread includes a beautiful full-page illustration of the featured animal. The facing page gives the animal's name and a short tagline (the Devils Hole Pupfish is "the world's loneliest species" while the Gharial is a "relic of the dinosaurs" and the Olm is a "mythical dragon of the underworld"), followed by a few paragraphs describing the animal's unique attributes, habits, and current threats. While the text is most appropriate for older readers, even young children will enjoy flipping through the vibrant images to meet creatures they've likely never encountered in other books. As someone pretty well versed in biology, I was surprised by the number of species included here that I had never heard of before, from a 400-pound sex-changing fish to a cave-dwelling amphibian that can go 10 years at a time without food.

The author's note at the beginning of the book provides helpful context, pointing out that this collection of 43 animals is meant to represent the breadth of biodiversity but is by no means exhaustive, and the back matter includes a helpful map and succinct listing of all the animals featured. The last page suggests ways the reader can help protect these threatened species, always an important message to include when discussing disheartening environmental issues with kids. But the focus of this book is really quite positive - it inspires environmental action not through dire warnings but by revealing the incredible diversity and beauty of the natural world.

[beautyinthebinding · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

My seven-year-old and I read straight through A Wild Child’s Guide to Endangered Animals by Millie Marotta before integrating it into our daily home education curriculum. The beautiful illustrations and coordinating narratives entertained and educated. Each page spread showcases one endangered animal and, prior to reading A Wild Child’s Guide to Endangered Animals, I was not familiar with many of the animals in the book. We especially enjoyed learning about the Saola, the Little Dodo Bird (featured on the cover), and the Fishing Cat. Continuing on with this book, we’ll do a daily reading page and supplement the information with online educational videos to reinforce the material.

For other homeschooling parents who hold to an intelligent design view about the origins of our universe, I will state that there are a few mentions of evolution in A Wild Child’s Guide to Endangered Animals by Millie Marotta. Depending on personal beliefs, some parents may wish to avoid that topic while others may use it as a discussion opportunity.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.