Animals at the EDGE: Saving the World s Rarest Creatures

by Jonathan Baillie, Marilyn Baillie

The EDGE (Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered) of Existence program is a global conservation initiative aimed at saving rare species from extinction. This eye-opening book shows some of the important results of the group's work. Readers accompany real scientists on exciting scientific expeditions from the heights of the Cyclops Mountains in faraway West Papua, to the depths of the Yangtze River in China, to the forests of Haiti in the Caribbean, and the vast stretches of the Gobi Desert. Jonathan and Marilyn Baillie’s lively narratives and stunning photographs introduce such special creatures as the bumblebee bat, so small it can fit on a fingertip; the Bactrian camel, capable of surviving the harshest desert conditions; and the slender loris, a nocturnal beast hunted for its mythical magic powers. There is also a sense of urgency here: these and the eight other animals profiled are evolutionarily unique, which means that if they don’t survive there will be nothing similar left on Earth and our global biodiversity will be weakened forever.

48 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2008

Reviews

[Canadian Children's Book Centre]

Mother and son, writer Marilyn and biologist Jonathan Baillie, team up in this fascinating look at endangered animals around the world. We meet animals that we have never encountered before, from the long-eared jerboa, whose adorable little face and over-sized ears grace the cover, to the golden-rumped elephantshrew, a distant relative of the elephant that is the size of a shrew. EDGE is the acronym for the Zoological Society of London’s Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered project. Through its initiative, scientists study some of the most unique endangered creatures around the world. The book focuses on a number of these animals and the adventurous scientists who study them. Along with Jonathan Baillie, who explores Papua in search of the longbeaked echidna (which looks sort of like a small aardvark with porcupine quills), we meet Sam Turvey who researches the Yangtze River dolphin, Kate Jones who travels through Asia looking for the bumblebee bat and Ben Collen whose current focus is the pygmy hippo of western Africa. Each double-page spread includes information on the animal, a photo and brief bio of the scientist, the scientist’s to-do list and dramatic colour photos of the animal. This is an attractive book that gives a good introduction to some of the people and animals of the EDGE project. It will provide interesting reading for the animal-loving child and perhaps inspire some to think about biology and conservation as a career.

Reviewed by Mary Anne Cree in Canadian Children's Book News
Spring 2009 VOL.31 NO.2

[JustOneMoreBook.com · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous photos of scarce, strange and, often, sweet-looking animals and intimate glimpses of the young scientists who are working to save them make this exciting look at work of the Zoological Society of London's EDGE of Existence Program an engaging introduction to the science of conservation.

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