SNOW LEOPARDS

Brother and sister snow leopards Simi and Siri are born moments apart, but the male cub Simi is born small and weak. Determined to survive, Simi learns to keep up with his heartier sister and use his small size to his advantage. However, caught in an avalanche, Simi realizes that he’s no match for nature’s elements and is separated from his mother and sister; with luck and a human’s help the siblings are reunited. Muted watercolor full-page illustrations playfully chronicle the cubs’ development, separation and reunion, and the illustrations’ fine details make this text suitable for close-up independent or one-on-one reading. Despite featuring a relatively simple and easy-to-follow storyline, this text, which is translated from French, is wordy and the language used lacks energy, especially in the supposedly tense moments of the siblings’ separation. A dense one-page fact-based afterword provides details about snow leopards and reminds readers of the importance of protecting this endangered species. (Picture book. 4-7)