Bison: Community Builders and Grassland Caretakers

by Frances Backhouse

Bison are North America’s largest land animals.


Some 170,000 wood bison once roamed northern regions, while at least 30 million plains bison trekked across the rest of the continent. Almost driven to extinction in the 1800s by decades of slaughter and hunting, this ecological and cultural keystone species supports biodiversity and strengthens the ecosystems around it. Community Builders and Grassland Caretakers celebrates the traditions and teachings of Indigenous Peoples and looks at how bison lovers of all backgrounds came together to save these iconic animals. Learn about the places where bison are regaining a hoof-hold and meet some of the young people who are welcoming bison back home.


The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.


Praise for Frances


★"An important book for helping kids see past the sterotypes of terrifying grizzly bears and join the call for conservation."—School Library Journal, starred review for Grizzly Bears


"The impressively comprehensive text is chatty and entertaining...This illuminating avian introduction is sure to make an owl out of anyone."—Booklist, review for Owls


"An engaging book that will leave readers spouting facts about beavers. Students will have a new appreciation for these innovative builders and their significant impact on the landscape and ecosystems of North America."—School Library Journal, review for Beavers

96 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 15, 2025

About the author

Frances Backhouse is a veteran freelance journalist who has written for Audubon, New Scientist, Canadian Geographic and numerous other magazines. Her training and experience as a biologist inform her environmental writing, including her books about owls and woodpeckers. Her other three books reflect her ongoing fascination with Klondike gold rush history.