ALA Booklist (Thu Oct 01 00:00:00 CDT 2015)

Every year, more and more species are deemed endangered, due in large part to human activities that threaten them. Cotton's succinct, lyrical text invites readers to count and consider 10 vulnerable creatures, along with the qualities and behaviors that make them worthy of our protection. She spotlights lions, gorillas, giraffes, tigers, elephants, Ethiopian wolves, penguins, sea turtles, macaws, and zebras, reminding readers of their everyday struggles for survival. Walton's photo-realistic charcoal portraits are exquisitely rendered, and the decision to depict several from a head-on perspective ensures that readers will make direct eye contact and empathize with these creatures. Introduced by Virginia McKenna (of the Born Free Foundation) and appended with notes on the animals and additional resources, this handsome offering makes an excellent introduction to this topic. Pair with Patricia Mullins' V for Vanishing: An Alphabet of Endangered Animals (1994) or Anne Bowman's Count Them While You Can (2011) for an Earth Day story hour.

Horn Book (Mon Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2016)

This oversize book features startlingly realistic charcoal illustrations of ten endangered species. The accompanying free-verse poems celebrate each threatened animal and provide some information about behavior or habitat. Back matter includes additional information about the protection status of each animal, sounding a sobering alarm about extinction while expressing hope for population recovery. Websites.

School Library Journal (Thu Oct 01 00:00:00 CDT 2015)

K-Gr 2 This oversize counting book features 10 endangered animals drawn beautifully in charcoal. The images of lions, tigers, elephants, penguins, and more are so detailed that they appear on first look to be black-and-white photos. Each spread presents an animal, such as a single male lion, two gorillas, three giraffes, etc. Soft, moody text printed in orange accompanies the images. "One lion sits and watches his rough-and-tumble pride. He surveys the golden savanna, and a flicker catches his eyesomething moving in the grass." "Four tigers rest in dappled shade. The mother raises her magnificent head. She is a warrior of the forest, heavily muscled, a flash of fire and night that brings oblivion to her prey." The end pages expand upon the status of the animals, from the endangered to those less threatened. Their general habitat is noted along with information regarding the number of the species now left. VERDICT A stunning portrait of beautiful creatures in a book with a strong environmental message. Roxanne Burg, Orange County Public Library, CA