Starred Review ALA Booklist

Starred Review Where in the world are Montgomery and Bishop? The latest project of the award-winning dynamic duo takes the reader to Brazil's Pantanal, the world's largest wetlands, where field scientist Patricia Medici leads a talented team in search of the unsung tapir. Montgomery's typically polished narrative and Bishop's illuminating photography showcases the research group's camaraderie, as well as their dedication to protecting tapirs by tagging and studying them in their natural habitats. Both the images and text highlight how the tight-knit team operates as a think tank when obstacles arise, such as the failure of a tranquilizing dart to adequately penetrate, and solutions must be found. Montgomery's inclusion of the story of Benjamin, a British schoolboy who led a donation campaign, and Medici's response ming a tapir in his honor rves to personalize the project and model what other young enthusiasts can do to help. 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.

Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews

The writer-and-photographer team who introduced readers to flightless parrots, snow leopards, tree kangaroos and the Goliath bird-eating tarantula turn their attention to the elusive lowland tapir. Traveling in Brazil's Pantanal wetlands with biologist Patricia "Pati" Medici and her team, Montgomery and Bishop experience long, hot days, cramped conditions, nervous waiting and itchy tick bites while searching for this solitary, nocturnal animal. There is a satisfying natural structure to this tale of science research in the field, as initial difficulties give way to the team's most productive expedition ever. In less than a week, they see tapirs in the wild, find their tracks, take photographs, locate them through radio telemetry, collect "samples of tapir poop, skin, fur, and blood," and capture and collar two new tapirs, with more to come. This research matters, and the author clearly explains why. Chapters about the team's day-by-day experiences, written in a lively, first-person voice, include memorable detail; interspersed are sections introducing team members, the ranch where they (and a team investigating giant armadillos) are doing their research, a British teen who helped fund an expedition and record-keeping. Clearly labeled photographs of scientists at work, ranch life, tapirs and other animals of this unfamiliar part of the world add to the book's appeal. A splendid addition to an exemplary series. (bibliography, websites, index) (Nonfiction. 10-15)

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

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

The writer-and-photographer team who introduced readers to flightless parrots, snow leopards, tree kangaroos and the Goliath bird-eating tarantula turn their attention to the elusive lowland tapir. Traveling in Brazil's Pantanal wetlands with biologist Patricia "Pati" Medici and her team, Montgomery and Bishop experience long, hot days, cramped conditions, nervous waiting and itchy tick bites while searching for this solitary, nocturnal animal. There is a satisfying natural structure to this tale of science research in the field, as initial difficulties give way to the team's most productive expedition ever. In less than a week, they see tapirs in the wild, find their tracks, take photographs, locate them through radio telemetry, collect "samples of tapir poop, skin, fur, and blood," and capture and collar two new tapirs, with more to come. This research matters, and the author clearly explains why. Chapters about the team's day-by-day experiences, written in a lively, first-person voice, include memorable detail; interspersed are sections introducing team members, the ranch where they (and a team investigating giant armadillos) are doing their research, a British teen who helped fund an expedition and record-keeping. Clearly labeled photographs of scientists at work, ranch life, tapirs and other animals of this unfamiliar part of the world add to the book's appeal. A splendid addition to an exemplary series. (bibliography, websites, index) (Nonfiction. 10-15)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

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)