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thecandlelightlibrary 's review for:
Thank you to NetGalley and Storey Publishing for sending me a free ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.
Wildlife Ranger Action Guide, which I give a 3.5/5, is a promising introduction to nature watching for young enthusiasts, encouraging a love of nature and science through observation and wildlife-friendly crafts.
This book is very inviting: it’s laid out well, it’s colorful, & engaging for readers. There are individual sections for 1) birds, 2) insects, 3) turtles and lizards, 4) amphibians, and 5) mammals. Each section is laid out with information about the category, section-specific crafts, and a handful of selected species profiles (referred to as field guide pages). The crafts don’t require expensive or hard to obtain materials, and most can be done with responsible older kids or with limited adult supervision (parents of course can make the decision if their kids can handle scissors and other sharp objects without supervision).
However, I must be clear this is a guide for beginners and although it is a general guide, it does skew more toward east coast species (31 species of the 78 range only in the eastern part of the U.S.). Additionally, since it is such a general guide, MANY common species with large ranges were excluded (for instance, crows were covered but ravens were not), and not much time was spent on each species (only basic information was covered and the profiles could have easily expanded to a second page). I’m also not sure exactly what the intended age group for this book is. The text-heavy information pages were geared towards a low reading level (and explained very basic terminology, like what a species is, that I feel most kids would already understand), but many of the crafts required responsible older kids or adult supervision.
My primary problem, however, was how little space was dedicated to safety information and general warnings. The Wildlife Ranger Action Guide only spends a quarter-page to mention readers should research what poisonous plants, stinging insects, disease-carrying species (such as ticks), and venomous snakes are local to their area. I don’t think this was nearly sufficient for a beginner’s guide; instead, I would have appreciated a short section of common species to avoid (if the author truly didn’t want to add species-specific information they could give broad, cautious tips such as most venomous snakes have triangular-shaped heads). Additionally, I think there should be better cautions within each species profile. For children not used to hands-on nature, some “common sense” things might be new for them, and with wildlife it’s always better to be overly cautious. There was also a lot of space devoted to how to save wild animals, but almost nothing on animal safety. The best way to save wild animals when you see them is to leave them be; for a wildlife guide I sincerely wish there was more encouragement for kids to observe and save physical interactions for professionals, or at a minimum describe safe handling practices.
I know how massive and difficult an undertaking such as this is - the U.S. is incredibly diverse and it’s impossible to include all the unique species we can find in our backyards. However, limiting to 78 species is barely the tip of the iceberg and it meant a lot of common species were passed over. I think the Wildlife Ranger Action Guide could have easily doubled the number of species covered, especially since it’s marketed as a general U.S. guide, or they should produce region-specific books.
Overall, this is such a FANTASTIC concept, and I hope to see it flourish in the future. Wildlife Ranger Action Guide releases March 31st, 2020 and is available for preorder on Amazon. Thank you again to NetGalley and Storey Publishing for the privilege of reviewing an ARC.
Wildlife Ranger Action Guide, which I give a 3.5/5, is a promising introduction to nature watching for young enthusiasts, encouraging a love of nature and science through observation and wildlife-friendly crafts.
This book is very inviting: it’s laid out well, it’s colorful, & engaging for readers. There are individual sections for 1) birds, 2) insects, 3) turtles and lizards, 4) amphibians, and 5) mammals. Each section is laid out with information about the category, section-specific crafts, and a handful of selected species profiles (referred to as field guide pages). The crafts don’t require expensive or hard to obtain materials, and most can be done with responsible older kids or with limited adult supervision (parents of course can make the decision if their kids can handle scissors and other sharp objects without supervision).
However, I must be clear this is a guide for beginners and although it is a general guide, it does skew more toward east coast species (31 species of the 78 range only in the eastern part of the U.S.). Additionally, since it is such a general guide, MANY common species with large ranges were excluded (for instance, crows were covered but ravens were not), and not much time was spent on each species (only basic information was covered and the profiles could have easily expanded to a second page). I’m also not sure exactly what the intended age group for this book is. The text-heavy information pages were geared towards a low reading level (and explained very basic terminology, like what a species is, that I feel most kids would already understand), but many of the crafts required responsible older kids or adult supervision.
My primary problem, however, was how little space was dedicated to safety information and general warnings. The Wildlife Ranger Action Guide only spends a quarter-page to mention readers should research what poisonous plants, stinging insects, disease-carrying species (such as ticks), and venomous snakes are local to their area. I don’t think this was nearly sufficient for a beginner’s guide; instead, I would have appreciated a short section of common species to avoid (if the author truly didn’t want to add species-specific information they could give broad, cautious tips such as most venomous snakes have triangular-shaped heads). Additionally, I think there should be better cautions within each species profile. For children not used to hands-on nature, some “common sense” things might be new for them, and with wildlife it’s always better to be overly cautious. There was also a lot of space devoted to how to save wild animals, but almost nothing on animal safety. The best way to save wild animals when you see them is to leave them be; for a wildlife guide I sincerely wish there was more encouragement for kids to observe and save physical interactions for professionals, or at a minimum describe safe handling practices.
I know how massive and difficult an undertaking such as this is - the U.S. is incredibly diverse and it’s impossible to include all the unique species we can find in our backyards. However, limiting to 78 species is barely the tip of the iceberg and it meant a lot of common species were passed over. I think the Wildlife Ranger Action Guide could have easily doubled the number of species covered, especially since it’s marketed as a general U.S. guide, or they should produce region-specific books.
Overall, this is such a FANTASTIC concept, and I hope to see it flourish in the future. Wildlife Ranger Action Guide releases March 31st, 2020 and is available for preorder on Amazon. Thank you again to NetGalley and Storey Publishing for the privilege of reviewing an ARC.