ALA Booklist (Mon Feb 01 00:00:00 CST 2010)

Although there are plenty of children's books about animals and wildlife conservation, Barry's engaging entry brings young children into the conversation without sacrificing an ounce of kid appeal. Sporting a rounded cover, sturdy pages, and inventive die-cut flaps, this primer presents 10 endangered species in their natural habitats, including such favorites as the emperor penguin, African elephant, and orangutan. Barry's superb, colorful paper-collage illustrations feature close-ups of friendly looking animals, and the book's reinforced and cleverly constructed flaps reveal a second view of each creature and its environment. The simple text is filled with dynamic action verbs ("I'd save the polar bear, strolling across the ice / and diving into the Arctic Ocean"), while smaller type tucked into the illustrations details the environmental and human threats facing the animals. Endpapers feature a world map showing where each species lives, a sidebar of interesting facts, and a list of 10 things children can do to protect wildlife.

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

Each oblong spread in this eye-catching and informative book features endangered animals rendered in matte paper collage. Large flaps show animals engaging in multiple activities (a polar bear is seen “strolling across the ice,” then “diving into the Arctic Ocean”). The playful expressions of Barry's lively animals make the final spreads all the more stark, as they reappear in black die-cut silhouettes. A page turn, and they're “gone forever.” End-pages help answer the closing question, “How can I help?” Ages 4–7. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Feb.)

School Library Journal (Thu Jul 01 00:00:00 CDT 2010)

PreS-Gr 1 Each spread highlights an endangered animal, such as the Amur tiger and giant panda. A flap in the middle of the spread, when flipped, reveals the same animal in a different pose. The concept worked well in Duckie&9;s Rainbow (2004) and Duckie&9;s Ducklings (2005, both Candlewick) because the flipping of the page enhanced the visualization of what Barry was trying to show: for example, actually creating a rainbow. The flaps do not work that way here; they merely provide a novel way of presenting the material. Nevertheless, this book will appeal to children as the collage illustrations are attractive. There are also two levels of information: simple sentences make up the core of the text&4;I&9;d save the orangutan, stretching from branch to branch&4;and incidental facts about the dangers facing each animal are written at a higher level and set in small type. This book could be used in a classroom setting to discuss endangered animals with young children, but it lacks the flair of the &4;Duckie&4; titles.— Kara Schaff Dean, Walpole Public Library, MA