Using the jaguar as its touchstone, this thorough, well-organized book explores the challenges wildlife face in today’s world of human-created habitat fragmentation.
The book begins with the fascinating fact that there are indeed jaguars living in the United States—specifically the Sky Islands, high mountain ranges separated by desert in Arizona and New Mexico. But the jaguars are in trouble: Their need for vast areas of pristine habitat is threatened by human behavior. Deforestation, physical boundaries between nations, and highways, among other factors, compromise their ability to roam with the freedom they need to survive. The main story is bolstered with fascinating adjuncts—the evolution of big cats, the beginning of the conservation movement, the intricacies of DNA, and the dangers of a closed gene pool, for example. As the narrative progresses, other threatened species and their habitats are introduced (e.g., orangutans in Borneo, monarch butterflies’ migration paths, and amphibians and vernal pools). A few conservation success stories are sprinkled in, but the uncertain fates of many of Earth’s wild creatures are presented realistically and not sugarcoated. The book does end with hope, encouraging readers to become conservation activists and offering a list of actions to take, an extensive bibliography, and other sources of information. Latinx scientists are featured as well as White. Illustrated with full-color photos, this book will educate and motivate readers.
A powerful call to protect our Earth and its vulnerable creatures. (glossary, index, photo credits) (Nonfiction. 12-18)Pub Date: Sept. 7, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5415-2367-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Twenty-First Century/Lerner
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
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A miniature manifesto for radical queer acceptance that weaves together the personal and political.
Eli, a cis gay white Jewish man, uses his own identities and experiences to frame and acknowledge his perspective. In the prologue, Eli compares the global Jewish community to the global queer community, noting, “We don’t always get it right, but the importance of showing up for other Jews has been carved into the DNA of what it means to be Jewish. It is my dream that queer people develop the same ideology—what I like to call a Global Queer Conscience.” He details his own isolating experiences as a queer adolescent in an Orthodox Jewish community and reflects on how he and so many others would have benefitted from a robust and supportive queer community. The rest of the book outlines 10 principles based on the belief that an expectation of mutual care and concern across various other dimensions of identity can be integrated into queer community values. Eli’s prose is clear, straightforward, and powerful. While he makes some choices that may be divisive—for example, using the initialism LGBTQIAA+ which includes “ally”—he always makes clear those are his personal choices and that the language is ever evolving.
Small but mighty necessary reading. (resources) (Nonfiction. 14-18)Pub Date: June 2, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-09368-9
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2020
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A powerful reminder of a history that is all too timely today.
13
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A beautifully heart-wrenching graphic-novel adaptation of actor and activist Takei’s (Lions and Tigers and Bears, 2013, etc.) childhood experience of incarceration in a World War II camp for Japanese Americans.
Takei had not yet started school when he, his parents, and his younger siblings were forced to leave their home and report to the Santa Anita Racetrack for “processing and removal” due to President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Executive Order 9066. The creators smoothly and cleverly embed the historical context within which Takei’s family’s story takes place, allowing readers to simultaneously experience the daily humiliations that they suffered in the camps while providing readers with a broader understanding of the federal legislation, lawsuits, and actions which led to and maintained this injustice. The heroes who fought against this and provided support to and within the Japanese American community, such as Fred Korematsu, the 442nd Regiment, Herbert Nicholson, and the ACLU’s Wayne Collins, are also highlighted, but the focus always remains on the many sacrifices that Takei’s parents made to ensure the safety and survival of their family while shielding their children from knowing the depths of the hatred they faced and danger they were in. The creators also highlight the dangerous parallels between the hate speech, stereotyping, and legislation used against Japanese Americans and the trajectory of current events. Delicate grayscale illustrations effectively convey the intense emotions and the stark living conditions.
A powerful reminder of a history that is all too timely today. (Graphic memoir. 14-adult)Pub Date: July 16, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-60309-450-4
Page Count: 208
Publisher: Top Shelf Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 4, 2019
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