Can We Save the Tiger?

British children's author and conservationist Martin Jenkins and former zookeeper and natural history illustrator Vicki White team up in this gorgeous, thoughtful picture book about endangered species. The conversational narrative addresses the young reader directly, discussing species which have already gone extinct—the dodo, Steller's sea cow, marsupial wolf, great auk, broad-faced potoroo—and those which are in danger of going extinct—the eponymous tiger, Asian elephant, sloth bear, African hunting dog, and partula snail. Species like the latter, inadvertently endangered by human actions, are also explored, including the quokka, Mariana fruit dove, West Indian ground iguana, white-rumped vulture, sawfishes, albatross, European show more crayfish, and golden arrow poison frog. Conservation success stories, such as the American bison, white rhinoceros, Antarctic fur seal, and vicuña are also discussed, as are those where conservation efforts are still underway, such as New Zealand's kakapo, Rodrigues flying fox, whooping crane, and Bermuda petrel. The book closes with a reference to climate change, an argument for the importance of conservation, and a list of online resources and index...

One of the first things I noticed when picking up Can We Save the Tiger? is just how astonishingly beautiful it is! The artwork from Vicki White, created using pencil and oil paint, is stunning, and both black and white and color illustrations demand attention, and will have young readers poring over them. I was not familiar with White before encountering this book, nor had I read anything by Jenkins, but I will certainly be seeking out more of their work. The second thing to strike me was the informative but conversational tone taken by Jenkins in the text, and the balance shown in his narration, between the destruction wrought by humans on the natural world, and the attention demanded (and deserved) by human need. Too often in books on conservation, there is a tendency to demonize humans, and to treat every wrong decision made, in the past or the current day, as arising from either stupidity or intentional malice. It was refreshing to see this strategy (and error, in my opinion) avoided, and to see that one of the fundamental stumbling blocks to animal conservation—the competition between animal and human need—is accurately and compassionately described. Likewise, it was heartening to see that while attention was paid to the tragedy of past extinctions and the danger of possible future ones, success stories were also included, and room was left open for hope. This kind of balance is vanishingly rare in children's books of this kind, I think, and caused me to add a star because of its great importance. Rather than simplifying and dumbing things down—everything is hell right now kids, but it would be utopia, if only people (those other people, of course!) weren't so greedy and mean—the narrative here preserves complexity, treating children as intelligent beings capable of wrestling with that complexity.

This impression of respect for the child reader was reinforced by the final passage of the book, which acknowledged that conservation is just one of many pressing issues, but made an argument for it, regardless:

"When it comes to looking after all the species that are already endangered, there's such a lot to do that sometimes it might all seem to be too much, especially when there are so many other important things to worry about. But if we stop trying, the chances are that pretty soon we'll end up with a world where there are no tigers or elephants, or sawfishes or whooping cranes, or albatrosses or ground iguanas. And I think that would be a shame, don't you?" show less

When I purchase books about endangered animals, environmental catastrophe, and other cheerful topics for children, I usually stick to a pretty firm rule: No "the world is coming to an end" nonfiction without a corresponding "how you can help" section. And I mean REAL suggestions, not just "write on both sides of paper." Sheesh.

However, this book is so gorgeous I will make an exception. This over-sized book is a tribute to the amazing animals that have become extinct - and the many endangered species on the verge of extinction.

Jenkins begins the book with a list of some of the animals that have become extinct, illustrated by Vicky White's pencil and oil drawings. Then we move on to the animals on the edge, starting with the beautiful show more tiger. Jenkins talks about the reasons the tiger is becoming extinct; loss of habitat, poaching, and hunting in a simple way that's easy to understand. He includes human - and local - perspectives as well. We see animals who are threatened for similar reasons and then a very different creature; the partula snail. This snail is threatened because of invasive species and the concept is explained clearly and graphically. We see more animals threatened by invasive species.

We also get to see success stories, starting with the American bison who was nearly extinct but saved just in time. Jenkins looks at other animals who have moved from near extinction to healthy numbers. But then we see an animal who's not so easy to save; the kakapo. We also have a look at the polar bear, who was thought to be safe but isn't anymore.

The end matter includes a list of websites devoted to conservation and containing more information on endangered and extinct animals and an index.

This book won't tell kids how they can help; but it's a beautiful and graphic depiction of the many animals that are endangered today and the variety of reasons they no longer thrive. It includes hope for the future with success stories like the American Bison, but is honest in showing the difficulties and problems of saving an animal.

Verdict: Pair this with a book on how kids can help (I have a title coming up next week with more on this). Kids and parents alike will be stunned by the beautiful illustrations; and inspired to do some research on conservation on their own. Recommended.

ISBN: 9780763649098; Published February 2011 by Candlewick; Borrowed from another library; Added to my order wishlist. show less

Martin Jenkins explains extinction and its causes in a manner that, while factual, is also conversational and thought provoking. Consider his opening paragraphs that inspire an immediate sense of wonder combined with an easy familiarity,

"The world’s quite a big place, you know. But it’s not that big, when you consider how much there is to squeeze into it.
After all, it’s home not just to billions of people, but to the most amazing number of other kinds of living things, too. And we’re all jostling for space.”

After a cursory introduction to extinction, he offers the varying reasons for why creatures have become extinct – poaching, invasive non-native species, over-hunting, chemical poisoning. Each time, he hints that problems show more are not so easily solved. Take the tiger for example,

"…they’re big, they need a lot of space. But the countries where they live, like India and Indonesia, have huge numbers of people in them too, all trying to make a living and needing to be fed. …
So if you were a poor farmer trying to make a living with a couple of cows and a few goats, you might not be too happy if you found there was a hungry tiger living nearby. And if you knew that someone might pay you more for a tiger skin and some bones than you earn in three whole months working in the fields, then you might find it very tempting to set a trap or two, even if you knew it was against the law.”

Jenkins looks at failures (the Dodo, the Great Auk and others), successes (the Buffalo, the White Rhinoceros, the Kakapos, and more) and other works in progress. In each case, he presents the conundrum of competing interests or unintended consequences in a manner easily understood by young readers. Text size, too, is inviting to younger readers – smaller text is punctuated by sections of very large font print.

Similarly to Jim Arnosky’s Thunder Birds, field-style pencil sketches accompany many pages. Vicky White’s larger illustrations are done in pencil and oil paint with lightly sketched backgrounds, or on plain cream-colored pages. The large and realistic illustrations are accompanied by basic facts including habitat, size, diet, life span, and existing population. An index and online resources complete the book.

A small final illustration of the rare Sander’s Slipper Orchid hints that not only creatures are in danger of extinction; or perhaps the illustration hints at a future book. The over sized book has sturdy pages that, although they have a matte finish, have a smooth and creamy texture - like icing on the cake. A beautiful and affecting book.

www.shelf-employed.blogspot.com show less

With text that reads like a conversation with a knowledgeable friend and exquisite, scientific-style drawings, most in black and white, this paen to extinct and endangered species is both bluntly honest and reasonably hopeful. Reasonably because it's up to us to save the tiger and other species magnificent and tiny and we don't have a great track record. But we're learning, and that is the hope that Jenkins and White leave us with. As a naturalist, I commend the factual sidebars for each species, denoting scientific name, location, size, life span, habits, breeding and food. I was fascinated by the tiny partula snails, their many species, now sadly diminished, and their ability to hold on in remote areas. All of the extinct species show more deserved life and we took it. Let's not lose the endangered species, too. We are the intelligent ones; let's figure it out and save them. show less

Summary:
Can We Save the Tiger? By Martin Jenkins is an informational book about the world’s most endangered species. The author writes about extinct animals such as the Dodo, Steller Sea Cow, Marsupial wolf, Great Auk and Broad- faced Potoroo. He also writes about the different endangered animals such as the Tiger, Asian Elephant, Sloth Bear, African Hunting Dog and various insects and reptiles as well. The author writes about animals, which were once endangered but have grown back to healthier numbers. Such as the American Bison and White Rhinoceros. It is a great book about the history and conservation of wildlife.

Personal reaction:
I thought this was a great book especially with the unique way of drawing the extinct and endangered show more animals. The extinct animals are drawn in grey scale. The endangered animals are drawn with grey scale slowly engulfing the living color of the animal. This is a very effective symbolic technique of the illustrator. It was very informal and I did not know there were so many extinct animals. The author includes the Latin names, place of origin and numbers left of each of the animals. This book helps children understand that we need to take care of the environment that we live in, in order to protect the animals we have now. The illustrations are very detailed pencil drawings and almost look photogenic.

Classroom extensions:
1. Teach the children on conservation and environmental change as well as the negative effects it has on wildlife.
2. Visit an extinct and endangered museum.
3. Discuss methods on how we can prevent endangered animals from becoming extinct. show less

Truly gorgeous drawings of animals conversational, emotional, fact-filled text = one powerful book about endangered species.

I particularly loved how reasonable, yet persuasive the writing was. For example, the closing paragraph:

"When it comes to looking after all the species that are already endangered, there's such a lot to do that sometimes it might all seem to be too much, especially when there are so many other important things to worry about. But if we stop trying, the chances are that pretty soon we'll end up with a world where there are no tigers or elephants, or sawfishes or whooping cranes, or albatrosses or ground iguanas. And I think that would be a shame, don't you?"

Top 100 pick because:

Persuasive writing without appearing pushy or too technical. It convinces the reader in perfectly reasonable tones and words. The mostly black and white illustrations convey the sense of the endangered species, the pictures are fading just as the animals are. Interesting facts without having too much information. Well spaced between words and images. Each animal received a small bio next to it that provides further detail, but does not detract from the story nor draw the eye away from the main content.
My favorite animal, one I didn't know existed, is the Rodrigues Flying Fox. It looks like a bat and a fox mated and that is just fascinating.