A Wild Child's Guide to ENDANGERED ANIMALS, by Millie Marotta. Chronicle Books, Raincoast. 2019. $37.50 all ages

                                                                   
                    Happy Animal Crackers Day to Everyone!             

                    I hope this affords a smile for you today:

                    https://youtu.be/wNwFXLcrsbc

"As you weave your way from the oceans to the forests, from mountaintops to the Arctic tundra, you'll discover a collection of endangered animals that call these places home. At the end of the book I've given some ideas of what you can do next if you want to help them survive and thrive. My hope is that you will fall in love with these creatures just as I have ... "

Ms. Marotta reminds us that these 'beautiful beasts' are hanging on for dear life. They need help to survive. By bringing their stories to her audience, she lives in hope that we will find ways to do our part in assuring their existence in our world.

The text is divided into various habitats: oceans, forests, deserts, fresh water, grasslands, mountains, tundra, and wetlands. Each section introduces between 4 and 7 creatures who live within that habitat, on double-page spreads that include a helpful illustration, a catchy descriptive nickname, the name of the creature itself and a few very informative paragraphs about each one. Some will be familiar; others are less well-known. And, readers are off to a text that will interest, inform, and intrigue.

Endpapers reveal images of already extinct animals, and help to raise concern for those featured in the pages that follow. There are 43 creatures included, living around the world. The map that follows the text shows exactly where they can be found. The numbers beside each will take readers back to the page where they are presented. A glossary provides the given name, the scientific name, the status for each, the number of mature individuals if known, their place in the world, and the many threats to their survival. The final spread offers a multitude of ways readers can help to protect the wonder that is the animal kingdom.