Just Wild Enough: Mireya Mayor, Primatologist

by Marta Magellan, Clémentine Rocheron (Illustrator)

Overview

2022 Russell Freedman Award for Nonfiction - Finalist
2022 Foreword INDIES Finalist - Juvenile Nonfiction
2023 Green Earth Book Award Long List for Picture Book

Primatologist Mireya Mayor is living proof that courage and determination can make the impossible possible.

For Mireya Mayor, even as a young child whose house was filed with cats, dogs, rabbits, birds, a chicken, and a snapping turtle, nothing was quite wild enough. Older, she traded her pom-poms as a cheerleader for the National Football League for the swamps of the South American jungle. The first woman wildlife TV reporter for National Geographic, she traveled the world, but things still weren't quite wild enough. It was only when Mireya went to Madagascar that things FINALLY got wild enough. This biography of the woman who convinced the prime minister of Madagascar to make the mouse lemur's rain forest a protected national park is an inspiring—and wild story.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780807540862
Publisher:	Whitman, Albert & Company
Publication date:	09/22/2022
Series:	She Made History
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
Lexile:	AD720L (what's this?)
File size:	54 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Marta Magellan was born in Brazil and has written award-winning nonfiction children's books, with positive reviews from School Library Journal, Family Magazine and others. A former English professor at Miami Dade College, she taught creative writing, composition, and children’s literature. She lives in Miami, Florida, and visits wild areas for glimpses of birds and wild animals whenever possible.

After four years in Shanghai designing stores for brands, Clémentine Rocheron is now illustrating from her studio based in the South of France, helping her clients stand out with true creativity. She is currently working for publishing houses as well as different brands in the fields of culture, esotericism, stationery, cosmetics, and social media.

Editorial Reviews

"Pleasing and stimulating."—Kirkus Reviews

"An inspirational story that shows how an explorer and a scientist don't look one certain way."—Booklist

2022 Russell Freedman Award for Nonfiction - Finalist
2022 Foreword INDIES Finalist - Juvenile Nonfiction
2023 Green Earth Book Award Long List for Picture Book

From the Publisher

2022-07-27
From pompoms to Ph.D.!

Mireya Mayor, a Cuban American primatologist who grew up in Miami, was interested in wild animals from a young age—her childhood home teemed with animals, from dogs to snapping turtles to a chicken and everything in between. Although her interest in nature hit a speed bump when her mother sent her to ballet class instead of letting her join the Girl Scouts, Mireya discovered a talent for dance that led to her becoming an NFL cheerleader while she attended college. Her desire to work with animals—particularly primates—led her to international fieldwork in the jungles of South America as well as struggles with colleagues who judged Mireya based on her looks and not her accomplishments. Her continued work in far-off places caught the attention of National Geographic, which made her its first woman wildlife TV reporter, and on an expedition to Madagascar, Mireya discovered a new species of lemur. With this discovery, Mireya successfully petitioned the prime minister of Madagascar to create a national park to ensure the lemur’s survival. The story effectively documents Mireya’s career path, and attentive readers and caregivers will have moments to consider themes of prejudice and how everyone has unlimited capability for divergent interests. The backmatter, which contains additional information about mouse lemurs and the lemur reserve and an author’s note with more details about Mireya’s career path, including how she obtained her doctorate, will help direct curious readers to learn more. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Pleasing and stimulating. (glossary, further reading) (Picture-book biography. 6-8)

Kirkus Reviews