How to Save a Species

by Marilyn Baillie, Jonathan Baillie, Ellen Butcher

Overview

How to Save a Species brings readers as close as they may ever get to some of the most endangered animals and plants on earth. Highlighting the efforts of scientists, communities, and campaign groups, it includes the astonishing success stories of species that have been saved from the edge of extinction, as well as urgent cases in need of immediate action. With a logbook-style layout and color photographs throughout, the book profiles 17 of the world’s 100 most endangered species as identified by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) — a list reflecting research from thousands of experts from around the world, including coauthor Dr. Jonathan Baillie. Young readers can delve into the fascinating world of animals and plants as rare and interesting as the humpback whale, spoon-billed sandpiper, wild yam, and pygmy three-toed sloth, and will come away with a newfound understanding of the cooperative work and action plans needed from both scientists and citizens to protect a species from extinction.

Grade: 4
Fountas & Pinnel: S
Lexile Measure: 1060L
Common Core State Standards:
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.L.4.4,4a,4c,6
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RF.4.3,3a,4,4a,4c
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.4.1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.4.2,2a,2b,2d,2e,6,7,9,9b,10

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781771470636
Publisher:	OWLKIDS BOOKS
Publication date:	09/09/2014
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	48
Product dimensions:	8.60(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	1060L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Marilyn Baillie has enjoyed a varied career as an award-winning children's writer, a nursery school teacher, a lecturer at the Royal Ontario Museum, and a children's magazine and book editor. The author of numerous beloved children's books including Amazing Things Animals Do, Animals at the EDGE, and Whoosh! A Watery World of Wonderful Creatures, she lives in Toronto. Dr. Jonathan Baillie is Conservation Programmes Director at the Zoological Society of London, where he is responsible for conservation projects focusing on threatened species in more than 30 countries. In January of 2006 he founded the EDGE of Existence program, which focuses on Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) species. He lives in London. Ellen Butcher works for the Zoological Society of London. She worked on a team that published a new list of the species closest to extinction called Priceless or Worthless. She lives in London.

Editorial Reviews

08/04/2014
Marilyn and Jonathan Baillie, the team behind Animals at the Edge, return to the subject of endangered animals, partnering with Butcher of the Zoological Society of London to introduce 17 rare animals in a lively, photograph-filled format. Subjects include the humpback whale, lemur, softshell turtle, and pygmy three-toed sloth. Each animal is described by characteristics and habitat, along with discussions of the reasons for their endangerment. Q&A-style sidebars provide quick summaries of each animal, and quotations from scientists working to preserve the individual species appear throughout. A thorough exploration of several endangered animals, which may well encourage readers to take an active interest in protecting wildlife. Ages 8–12. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

2014-07-29
Striking photographs and clear explanatory text introduce 15 highly endangered species and two brought back from the edge of extinction, examples of the "very wonderful, very rare" living things with which humans share our world.Working from the International Union for Conservation of Nature's "Red List of Threatened Species," the authors have selected a variety of animals, insects and plants from around the world to exemplify the issue. Four pages of introduction explain the problem and topics touched on in subsequent double-spread "chapters": field research, numbers and threats, action plans and scientists involved. Appropriately for young readers, success stories come first: the humpback whale and New Zealand's black robin. Subsequent spreads cover species from Przewalski's horse on the Mongolian steppes to kestrels in Mauritius. Each creature gets a spread with a photograph, a few paragraphs of engaging, descriptive text, and sidebar notes: number, location, threats and what needs to be done. Many of these species have been captive-bred and released. Others will require community engagement and enforcement of existing protective laws. The design is attractive and the organization clear. A map serves as an index to species covered and also locates other creatures that make up the top 100 from the Zoological Society of London's "Priceless or Worthless?" list. An appealing and effective way to convey an important message. (glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 10-15)

Kirkus Reviews

"Striking photographs and clear explanatory text... An appealing and effective way to convey an important message."
– Kirkus Reviews

"A thorough exploration of several endangered animals, which may well encourage readers to take an active interest in protecting wildlife."
– Publishers Weekly

"...an engaging look at endangered species and what is being done, or needs to be done, to save them... Children will be fascinated, and hopefully alarmed, at the sometimes low numbers of each species remaining in the wild."
— Booklist

"This book for middle school children makes for an informative and engaging read that could complement any science lesson on the topic of endangered species."
–Green Teacher Magazine

From the Publisher