Synopsis
Describes the physical characteristics, hunting methods, and distribution of cougars and their relationship with humans.
Claudia Mills - Children's Literature
Capstone's "High Interest" series featuring "Predators in the Wild" seems to rest on the assumption that its readers are primarily interested in grisly and lurid details of exactly how predators stalk their prey and kill their victims. Thus, two of the four brief chapters here are devoted to "The Hunt" and "The Kill." Readers learn that "Cougars kill prey quickly. They often bite prey near the base of the skull," cutting the animal's spinal cord; they may also "use their jaws to attack an animal's throat" and thereby suffocate it. Afterward, "The cougar tears meat from the carcass to eat. It uses its rough tongue to scrape the bones." The book also offers general background information about cougars, as well as a double-page spread of "fast facts" and cautionary warnings about the danger to cougars from over-hunting and destruction of habitat. Each chapter, attractively illustrated with numerous color photographs, begins with bullets listing the key points discussed in the chapter, an aid to challenged readers. Vetted for accuracy by a conservation biologist of the Mountain Lion Foundation, the book closes with a glossary of "words to know," a bibliography, useful addresses and Web sites, and an index. A good choice for reluctant readers who have a taste for the gory. 2003, Capstone High-Interest Books,
Editorials
Children's Literature
Capstone's "High Interest" series featuring "Predators in the Wild" seems to rest on the assumption that its readers are primarily interested in grisly and lurid details of exactly how predators stalk their prey and kill their victims. Thus, two of the four brief chapters here are devoted to "The Hunt" and "The Kill." Readers learn that "Cougars kill prey quickly. They often bite prey near the base of the skull," cutting the animal's spinal cord; they may also "use their jaws to attack an animal's throat" and thereby suffocate it. Afterward, "The cougar tears meat from the carcass to eat. It uses its rough tongue to scrape the bones." The book also offers general background information about cougars, as well as a double-page spread of "fast facts" and cautionary warnings about the danger to cougars from over-hunting and destruction of habitat. Each chapter, attractively illustrated with numerous color photographs, begins with bullets listing the key points discussed in the chapter, an aid to challenged readers. Vetted for accuracy by a conservation biologist of the Mountain Lion Foundation, the book closes with a glossary of "words to know," a bibliography, useful addresses and Web sites, and an index. A good choice for reluctant readers who have a taste for the gory. 2003, Capstone High-Interest Books,— Claudia Mills