Description
Nic Bishop, who holds a doctorate in the biological sciences, is the photographer of many acclaimed books for children. He lives in Kalamazoo, Michigan.Visit his website at: www.nicbishop.com Nic Bishop and author Sy Montgomery won the Sibert Medal in 2011 for their collaborative work on Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World's Strangest Parrot , another Scientist in the Field title. Sy Montgomery is an author, naturalist, newspaper columnist, scriptwriter, and radio commentator who writes award-winning books for children as well as adults. She lives in Hancock, New Hampshire. Visit her website at symontgomery.com. Sy Montgomery and photographer Nic Bishop won the Sibert Medal in 2011 for their collaborative work on Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World's Strangest Parrot , another Scientist in the Field title. It looks like a bear, but isn't one. It climbs trees as easily as a monkey- but isn't a monkey, either. It has a belly pocket like a kangaroo, but what's a kangaroo doing up a tree? Meet the amazing Matschie's tree kangaroo, who makes its home in the ancient trees of Papua New Guinea's cloud forest. And meet the amazing scientists who track these elusive animals. It looks like a bear, but isn't one. It climbs trees as easily as a monkey-- but isn't a monkey, either. It has a belly pocket like a kangaroo, but what's a kangaroo doing up a tree? Meet the amazing Matschie's tree kangaroo, who makes its home in the ancient trees of Papua New Guinea's cloud forest. And meet the amazing scientists who track these elusive animals. What is a tree kangaroo? Well, it looks like a bear, but it isn't. It climbs trees as easily as a monkey can, but it's not a monkey, either. It even has a pouch like a kangaroo, but your average kangaroo really doesn't climb trees either. This book is about the amazing Matschie's tree kangaroo, who makes his home in the ancient trees of Papua New Guinea's cloud forest. To find this isolated paradise, readers will follow scientist Lisa Dabek, author Sy Montgomery, photographer Nic Bishop, and a crew of explorers up a steep mountain to a place that blooms with moss and teems with life. It's not an easy trek, but this tight-knit team supports each other, reminding each other of their common goal: to see tree kangaroo up close. Lisa Dabek especially can't wait. She hopes to find, capture, study, and release as many Matschie tree kangaroo's as possible, outfitted with radio collars, into the wild. So very little is known about these creatures: what do they eat? How much forest do they need? How many are there? And how can we help? *"Another beautifully illustrated entry in the Scientists in the field series...As usual, Bishop's color photographs are exemplary and extend the excitement in close-ups of creatures and of the team at work." "In this fact-packed adventure with stuning photos, readers joins scientists in New Guinea to radio-collar the way-cute tree-dweller." Montgomery's friendliness and curiosity set the tone...Bishop's photography is, as always, outstanding...Dabek's advice to young naturalists...[is a] useful addition. The writer and photographer of this exemplary description of science field work accompanied researcher Lisa Dabek on an expedition high in New Guinea's mountains to study tree kangaroos and promote the conservation of this elusive and endangered species. With early references to Dr. Seuss and hobbits, Montgomery connects the world of the young reader to this beautiful, distant place. She paces her narrative well, alternating focus on people and place, keeping the reader engaged and concerned about the expedition's success. As in other books in the series, she describes how local schoolchildren are involved. Her detailed account highlights scientific work habits, including extensive planning, necessary patience, careful observations and recording and the contiunal questions that arise. One unfortunately flipped picture notwithstanding, Bishop's photographs, shots of the expedition members, strinking close-ups of flora and fauna including the sought-for kangaroo and lush, green cloud forest scenes, are beautifully reproduced. From the maps in front to the concluding suggestions for young enthusiasts, information about the language, and index, this is another commendable title from an experienced team. Now in paperback, the Sibert Honor-winning book from the team who brought you The Tarantula Scientist - only this time the subject is a lot cuter.