(2) K-3 Illustrated by Jenni Desmond. Today in the wild expanses of Yellowstone National Park, wolves roam freely. This was not the case for most of the twentieth century, as wolves there were hunted out of existence by 1926. In 1995, through the efforts of scientists (opposed by some ranchers and hunters), fourteen wolves were reintroduced, and they survived to produce today's flourishing population. Barr splits her informative tale into two parts: first, the conservation story of how the wolves were brought from Canada, including details about wolf life cycles throughout the seasons. As the wolf population increased, the packs gradually spread out through the park and established hunting grounds in their territories. Desmond's graceful watercolors of the animals in summer and winter landscapes give a sense of the breadth and diversity of nature in the protected spaces of the American West. In the second half, Barr illustrates the effects of the wolves return on the entire ecosystem (a graphic in the endpapers compactly diagrams this concept of trophic cascade). Barr includes not just the main food chains but the full range of ecological impacts: insects, grasses, trees, even the water levels and paths of rivers change in response. The final pages include profiles of the fourteen original wolves and examples of other human interventions to reintroduce species affected by human activity.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2022

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Amy Husband & Mike Love. "Billions of years ago, Earth was very hot." This effective overview begins by describing conditions that made life possible on the planet and how climate change has occurred naturally over the millennia. Most of the discussion is devoted to our current environmental crisis, touching on extreme weather, threats to animal and human populations, and exacerbation of poverty (particularly for girls and women). The lively double-page spreads balance the sober text with cartoonlike touches (speech bubbles, burping livestock), making concepts more accessible to younger readers. A glossary is appended.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Anne Wilson. Fifteen endangered animals from the International Union for Conservation of Nature's "Red List" are profiled, each with a brief two-page spread that includes colorful illustrations of the animal in its habitat and information on why it's endangered. Two pages at the end suggest ways kids can help (organizations' websites included). Other sources will be needed for serious research, but this is an interesting introduction to wildlife conservation.

Reviewer: Janet Dawson