Can We Save the Tiger?

Starred review from January 3, 2011
Magnificent artwork and a careful balance of good and bad news are the strengths of this examination of endangered species from the team behind Ape. Tigers are not the only threatened species Jenkins follows; he also discusses partula snails (the victim of a plan to introduce new snail species to the Pacific islands where they live) and white-rumped vultures (whose numbers have been decimated by toxic drugs administered to the cattle whose carcasses they eat). By contrast, he also includes the comeback story of the American bison. Conversational text ("People also noticed that the vultures they did see... often looked all droopy and miserable, as if they were sick. Was there some disease, like vulture-measles or the flu, spreading across India?") explains difficult nuances of politics and sociology with verve. White's animals—meticulously drafted and shaded with the subtlest of earth tones—could almost walk off the page. The book's large trim size allows the inclusion of many sketches of creatures in a variety of positions, while intelligent design and typography decisions make each page worth lingering over. An excellent resource. Ages 5–7.