The Tapir Scientist (Scientists in the Field)

by Sy Montgomery (Author)

Reading Level: 4th − 5th Grade
This title in the Scientists in the Field series introduces young readers to one of the weirdest and most fascinating animals on the planet and recounts the extraordinary work of the dedicated scientists trying to save them. Full color.
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Kirkus

Starred Review
Chapters about the team's day-by-day experiences, written in a lively, first-person voice, include memorable detail. . . A splendid addition to an exemplary series.

ALA/Booklist

Starred Review
This contribution to the Scientists in the Field series seamlessly blends eloquent text and vivid images to spotlight the gentle tapir and those field scientists whose lives are committed to conserve animal species for the sake of our environment and our humanity.

None

Montgomery's dramatic account of tracking the elusive animals is interspersed with scientific information about the various tapir species, samples of Medici's data on tapir movements, explanations of the technologies used in the research, and discussions of Brazilian ranching culture.

Publishers Weekly

Starred Review

According to Montgomery, the tapir "looks like a cross between a hippo, an elephant, and something prehistoric," and indeed the animal has survived for more than 12 million years. In this addition to the Scientists in the Field series, Montgomery and Bishop bring readers into Brazil's Pantanal, an expanse of grasslands and subtropical forests, where a team of scientists tracks tapirs in an effort to understand them more completely. Profiles of scientists and ranchers, discussions of other animals of the Pantanal, Bishop's typically electric nature photography, and a few tense moments in the wild combine to create a full, fascinating picture of tapirs and one place they call home, as well as the work being done to protect them. Ages 10-up. (July)

Copyright 2013 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

School Library Journal

Starred Review

Gr 5-10—In this addition to the series, readers join Pati Medici and her team in their quest to study tapirs in the world's largest wetland, the Pantanal Wetlands of Brazil. Although its appearance may lead some to suppose that the tapir falls somewhere near elephants or hippopotami in the family tree, this flexible-snouted, hoof-toed tropical creature is most closely related to rhinoceroses and horses. Medici has dubbed the tapir "the gardener of the forest" for its critical role in maintaining foliage by ingesting fruits and excreting the seeds elsewhere, but little else is known about this vanishing species. By observing and trapping the animals to outfit them with radio collars or microchips and collect samples including blood and ticks from infestations, Medici's team hopes to better understand their lifestyles to enhance conservation efforts. Although in-text pronunciation guides are included for some Portuguese names and select scientific terminology is explained, no glossary is provided, and many of the exotic birds discussed are not shown. Following each chapter are several pages of related information with text and photographs placed on top of a marbled background with shadows that can make the text difficult to read in some places. A list of several websites and YouTube videos is included, and the index differentiates between text and photographic references. Bishop's captivating photographs, paired with Montgomery's narrative, not only call attention to a lesser-known endangered species, but also expose readers to the working conditions, obstacles, and emotions experienced by passionate scientists in the field.—Meaghan Darling, Plainsboro Public Library, NJ

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

"[The book] offers a clear-eyed picture of the challenges and the joys of pioneering fieldwork."
—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Classification
Non-fiction
ISBN-13
9780547815480
Lexile Measure
970
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Clarion Books
Publication date
July 23, 2013
Series
Scientists in the Field
BISAC categories
JNF037040 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Science & Nature | Trees & Forests
JNF037020 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Science & Nature | Environmental Conservation & Protection
JNF003220 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Animals | Animal Welfare
JNF003320 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Animals | Nocturnal
JNF016000 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Curiosities & Wonders
JNF048000 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Reference | General
JNF003270 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Animals | Endangered
JNF002000 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Adventure & Adventurers
JNF051050 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Science & Nature | Biology
JNF038050 - Juvenile Nonfiction | People & Places | Caribbean & Latin America
JNF025060 - Juvenile Nonfiction | History | Central & South America
JNF023000 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Girls & Women
JNF051020 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Technology | Agriculture
JNF058000 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Travel
JNF033000 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Lifestyles | Farm & Ranch Life
Library of Congress categories
Research
Brazil
Medici, Patricia
Tapirs
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