The Tapir Scientist - (Scientists in the Field (Paperback)) by Sy Montgomery & Nic Bishop (Hardcover)

About the Book

This title in the Scientists in the Field series introduces young readers to one of the weirdest and most fascinating animals on the planet and recounts the extraordinary work of the dedicated scientists trying to save them. Full color.

Book Synopsis

If you've never seen a lowland tapir, you're not alone. Most of the people who live near tapir habitat in Brazil's vast Pantanal ("the Everglades on steroids") haven't seen the elusive snorkel-snouted mammal, either. In this arresting nonfiction picture book, Sibert winners Sy Montgomery and Nic Bishop join a tapir-finding expedition led by the Brazilian field scientist Pati Medici. Aspiring scientists will love the immediate, often humorous "you are there" descriptions of fieldwork, and gadget lovers will revel in the high-tech science at play, from microchips to the camera traps that capture the "soap opera" of tapir life.

Review Quotes

"Profiles of scientists and ranchers, discussions of other animals of the Pantanal, Bishop's typically electric 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."
--Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Chapters about the team's day-by-day experiences, written in a lively, first-person voice, include memorable detail. . . A splendid addition to an exemplary series."
--Kirkus, starred review

"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."
--Booklist, starred review

"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."
--School Library Journal, starred review

"[The book] offers a clear-eyed picture of the challenges and the joys of pioneering fieldwork."
--Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Montgomery's dramatic account of tracking the elusive animals is interspersed with scientific information about the various tapir species, samples of Medici's data on tapir movements, explanations of the technologies used in the research, and discussions of Brazilian ranching culture."
--The Horn Book Magazine --

About the Author

This is the Sibert Medal author Sy Montgomery's ninth nonfiction title with Houghton Mifflin. She lives in Hancock, New Hampshire. Visit her website at www.symontgomery.com.

The Sibert Medal photographer Nic Bishop is a well-known nature photographer of many award-winning children's books. He lives in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Visit his website at www.nicbishop.com.