Engrossing encounters with some of nature’s more elusive residents.
A gallery of animals that have defied the odds.
Opening with a quote from Carl Sagan (“Extinction is the rule. Survival is the exception”), Stewart-Sharpe highlights 10 animals once wrongly thought to have vanished. Slipping in nods to dozens of other rarities along the way, the author surveys what scientists have dubbed the “Lazarus taxa”—from living fossils like the coelacanth fish and the venomous, ratlike Cuban solenodon to elusive flora and fauna that have staged “staggering comebacks.” Stewart-Sharpe indulges in a flair for the dramatic; she sets the scene with descriptions of remote habitats and headers like “A Secret on Sulawesi,” or “The Terror of New Caledonia.” Page turns then reveal the creature in question. The author surrounds Rose’s precisely detailed close-up views of each animal in its natural environs with select but enticing basic facts. Her accounts are rife with drama (stumbling on a population of horned marsupial frogs in Ecuador in 2018 “caused the scientists to leap about with excitement”); indeed, the thrill of such rediscoveries is certainly worth celebrating. And, commendably, the author readily acknowledges that many exciting finds came as no surprise at all to Indigenous residents. Stewart-Sharpe closes with references to Martha (the last passenger pigeon) and other species “endlings” and with the controversial prospect of “de-extinction” using preserved DNA, all of which expands the general topic while leaving young nature detectives with further food for thought.
Engrossing encounters with some of nature’s more elusive residents. (glossary) (Nonfiction. 9-11)Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2025
ISBN: 9780711288362
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Wide Eyed Editions
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
In this glossy photo essay, the author briefly recounts the study and exploration of the moon, beginning with Stonehenge and concluding with the 1998–99 unmanned probe, Lunar Prospector. Most of the dramatic photographs come from NASA and will introduce a new generation of space enthusiasts to the past missions of Project Mercury, Gemini, and most especially the moon missions, Apollo 1–17. There are plenty of photographs of various astronauts in space capsules, space suits, and walking on the moon. Sometimes photographs are superimposed one on another, making it difficult to read. For example, one photograph shows the command module Columbia as photographed from the lunar module and an insert shows the 15-layer space suit and gear Neil Armstrong would wear for moonwalking. That’s a lot to process on one page. Still, the awesome images of footprints on the moon, raising the American flag, and earthrise from the moon, cannot help but raise shivers. The author concludes with a timeline of exploration, Web sites, recommended books, and picture credits. For NASA memorabilia collectors, end papers show the Apollo space badges for missions 11–17. Useful for replacing aging space titles. (Nonfiction. 8-11)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2001
ISBN: 1-57091-408-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2001
Thousands of years ago, the Komodo dragon may have inspired dragon legends in China and beyond. In more recent times, researchers from all over the world have traveled to the Lesser Sunda Islands of Indonesia to study the Komodo dragon. This lively if somewhat haphazardly organized account focuses on the efforts of contemporary researchers, presents some of their cooler findings (female dragons can reproduce through parthenogenesis; their saliva is laced with deadly bacteria) and profiles a few captive specimens. Mostly color photographs from a variety of sources adorn almost every page, and captions add to the information. Learning about the Komodo dragon is not for the faint of heart, and the photos show the wild beasts in all their gory glory. The extensive backmatter includes brief facts about Indonesia, more information on the Komodo dragon life cycle and its use of smell and conservation information. A portion of the sales will be donated to the Komodo Survival Program. (bibliography, further reading, glossary, websites, index, author’s note) (Nonfiction. 9-11)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-59078-757-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Boyds Mills
Review Posted Online: Sept. 15, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2010
BOOK REVIEW
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