Cheetah

From the Publisher

"This excellent introduction to the cheetah touches upon all the salient aspects of the cat’s life: its habitat, hunting tactics (including the enormous bursts of speed), family life.... Both simple and fluent—there is much information here and it isn’t hard to digest—and the accompanying acrylic illustrations elegantly depict the African savannah." —Kirkus Reviews

Children's Literature - Trina Heidt

Mr. Morrison tells a fascinating story which focuses on the hunting and other rituals of Duma, the mother cheetah, and her two young cubs. The cubs are still young enough that they are completely dependent on Duma to provide them with nutrition. As Duma stalks her prey, the cubs wait quietly by hoping for a successful hunt. As the sun begins to set, a frustrated mother cheetah know that if this hunt fails (as did her last seven attempts) she will not get another chance until morning. If her cubs do not eat soon they will starve. Duma patiently watches the gazelles and waits for the chance to strike. With a quick pounce and a flurry of action the hunt begins. Morrison's graphic detail and visually captivating illustrations portray an eye opening account of the trials and successes of one cheetah's life on the Serengeti.

School Library Journal

Gr 2-3Admiration for the strength and beauty of the cheetah is evident in this introduction to survival on the Serengeti Plain. This realistic presentation focuses on the hunt from stalking to the chase through the kill as a mother cheetah seeks to provide food for her two cubs. Eventually she succeeds, only to lose the young wildebeest to a hungry lioness. Her next kill is a gazelle, which she shares with her cubs. Similar in style and format to Toshi Yoshida's Young Lions Philomel, 1989, the lively, simple text and dramatic acrylic paintings with close-up and panoramic views of the African plains capture the action in naturalistic settings. The youngest readers may find the content a bit strong, but the information remains true to the natural balance of nature in the wild. Barbara Esbensen's Swift as the Wind Orchard, 1996 covers the same material and offers a more comprehensive look at the physical characteristics and behaviors of this majestic big cat.Diane Nunn, Richard E. Byrd Elementary School, Glen Rock, NJ

Kirkus Reviews

This excellent introduction to the cheetah touches upon all the salient aspects of the cat's life: its habitat, hunting tactics (including the enormous bursts of speed), family life, prey and nemeses, and, of course, its remarkable grace and beauty. The approach Morrison (The Neptune Fountain, 1997, etc.) takes is both simple and fluent—there is much information here and it isn't hard to digest—and the accompanying acrylic illustrations elegantly depict the African savannah. A note of drama comes in a profile of a mother and two cubs on a typical day; the mother has been unsuccessful on her last seven hunts and hunger is gnawing at her cubs. In a closing note, Morrison mentions that valuable cheetah habitat is being usurped by humans (without noting the cheetah's critically diminished gene pool, also probably due to human intervention) and the subsequent need for its protection. (Picture book/nonfiction. 5-9)