Wildlife on Paper: Animals At Risk Around the Globe

Gr 1-4–Kundu offers a noteworthy introduction to unusual and often-endangered wildlife. The illustrations, which feature crumpled paper art and digital backgrounds, glow with light and seem more three dimensional than is possible on a page. Sixteen lesser-known animals are described, such as the Sunda pangolin. The animal, native to Southeast Asia, is critically endangered and is considered the most illegally trafficked mammal in the world. Each page spotlights one animal and provides a few compelling facts. The northern white rhinoceros, a distant relative of the horse, whitens its gray body by applying chalky white soil to its skin. The vaquita, with its large black-ringed eyes and curved lips, is often called “the smiling sea panda.” It lives in the Gulf of California and is the rarest marine animal on earth. A map showing the locations of each of the animals and a thorough bibliography are included. Kundu provides a work that is valuable as a picture book and as a resource about rare animal life.