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A Wild Child's Guide to Endangered Animals

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From New York Times bestselling author Millie Marotta comes this gorgeous celebration of the animal kingdom.

Highlights the plight of 43 endangered species from around the Take a trip through freshwaters, oceans, forests, mountains, tundras, deserts, grasslands, and wetlands while learning about rare and well-known animals and their habitats.

• Vivid illustrations bring caribous, axolotls, giraffes, agami herons, and many more to life on these rich and varied pages.
• Illuminating text relays the story of each species, from how they live and why they are endangered to what is being done about it.
• Complete with a map detailing where each species can still be found to enrich the reading experience further and inspire additional research.

A visually rich, timely, informative book raises awareness in the most spectacular way .

Millie Marotta is a freelance illustrator working from her studio by the sea in a little corner of West Wales. She grew up in the wilderness of rural Wales where she developed a fascination with all things flora and fauna, which, along with intricate pattern and detail, remains an ongoing theme in her work. Millie's intention is simply to create beautiful artwork which captivates, charms, and inspires a curiosity in others for the natural world.

A Wild Child's Guide to Endangered Animals makes an enlightening gift for any nature or animal enthusiast.

112 pages, Hardcover

First published October 8, 2019

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Millie Marotta

51 books25 followers

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5 stars
62 (65%)
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28 (29%)
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
Profile Image for Candice.
248 reviews
September 15, 2019
A Wild Child's Guide to Endangered Animals: is a well-researched book for both children and adults. Millie Marotta has organized the book by habitat (ocean, forest, desert, fresh water, grasslands, tundra and wetlands). At the start of each section is a brief description of the habitat, followed by the profiles of animals that live there. Each of the 43 species has an interesting written description and beautiful artwork. I love that the author includes animals from many Classes (birds, mammals, fish, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates). Often mammals are over represented when talking about endangered species. Thankfully, that’s not the case here.

At the end of the book you will find a map showing where all the animals live. You will also find additional information about each animal and a list of organizations (mainly in Great Britain) where you can help.

This book was larger than I expected. It would make a nice gift for an elementary or middle school child who loves nature. Pictures are large enough to be used in school settings and I think many teachers would enjoy having this in their classroom. I love that I learned something new while reading this book and occasionally found myself giggling. Millie Marotta strikes the right balance between addressing the seriousness of endangered species and sharing the unique Biology that makes each one special.

I enthusiastically signed up for the goodreads giveaway and was excited to win a copy.
Profile Image for Kristian.
387 reviews2 followers
September 19, 2019
I received this book as part of a Goodreads giveaway. I liked this book a lot. I was a very good book. I really enjoyed the illustrations. Quite stunning and fun at the same time. The book is well laid out and shows many different animals on the endangered list. My only issue with the book is that I wanted more pictures or photos of the animals as well as the artwork. I wanted more information on the animals. This book feels like an appetizer and now I want the entree. My ten year old felt the same as he looked it over. Maybe that was the authors intent. To whet our appetite and make us want to explore more.
Profile Image for Mehsi.
15k reviews448 followers
October 25, 2021
Een machtig mooi boek over dieren met prachtige illustraties op elke pagina. De tekst was erg interessant om te lezen en ik vond het leuk dat we dus endangered animals te zien kregen, vele zijn dieren die je niet altijd ziet in andere dierenboeken. Hier zul je niet tijgers of olifanten te zien krijgen, maar dieren die je misschien niet zo snel herkent of kent. Ik heb ook zeker een paar nieuwe dieren ontmoet en ik wil meer over ze leren.
De illustraties zijn gewoonweg prachtig en ik zat af en toe gewoon een tijdje te staren naar de mooie platen. Of ik aaide de pagina's omdat het gewoon leek alsof je het dier zo kon aaien.
Aanrader.
Profile Image for Jessica.
66 reviews
October 13, 2019
My son and I read this one. The illustrations are beautiful. Each animal has a description and info about extinction. We did enjoy this book, learning a bit on the way. It would be a good compliment to another informational animal book. The only thing I didnt like was it seemed to be lacking info or stats about the animal.
Profile Image for Amanda  up North.
966 reviews31 followers
February 23, 2021
Beautiful book for art and nature lovers.
Millie Marotta's artwork is gorgeous. I want to frame it, wallpaper my walls with it so I can look at it all the time. I'm smitten.
The book design is perfection; illustration and text are well balanced, fonts are pleasing sizes.
She's chosen a remarkable array of wildlife and categorized them by biome. Each biome gets it's own info page, too.

The info did leave me a bit wanting at times, which I can't discredit it for since books like this are designed to introduce topics, and I think they're successful when they make readers interested in learning more. I was happy to find further info in the back under "What are the threats?"

My husband, the critic, kept questioning information and had a few valid points that challenged the text. One that got us was the author's claim that "Deserts cover about one fifth of the Earth's surface.." (p. 34) The math didn't add up, given percentages already stated about Oceans and Forests in previous pages. I double checked and, in fact, deserts cover 9.5% of the Earth's surface (less than one tenth, rather than the one fifth the author claims). Her percentages don't leave room for other biomes in the book (or on the planet). I'd recommend revision on the math stats.

Tying it all together with purpose, is a "How You Can Help?" page with ideas on how you can help save endangered animals:
e.g. Volunteer, clean up litter in your community. Use fewer resources whenever you can and recycle more. Avoid palm oil. Say no to plastic whenever possible, especially drinking straws and bags. Don't use pesticides and herbicides that are harmful to the environment and the wildlife in it.
If you're not on board with these simple practices yet, now's the time to be doing so.

5 stars for brilliant art and outstanding animals, many I'd never heard of.
Profile Image for Bobby.
406 reviews21 followers
March 10, 2020
Gorgeous illustrations and just the right amount of text for kids (6+ years)
Profile Image for Beauty in the Binding.
625 reviews54 followers
December 26, 2019
My seven-year-old and I read straight through A Wild Child’s Guide to Endangered Animals by Millie Marotta before integrating it into our daily home education curriculum. The beautiful illustrations and coordinating narratives entertained and educated. Each page spread showcases one endangered animal and, prior to reading A Wild Child’s Guide to Endangered Animals, I was not familiar with many of the animals in the book. We especially enjoyed learning about the Saola, the Little Dodo Bird (featured on the cover), and the Fishing Cat. Continuing on with this book, we’ll do a daily reading page and supplement the information with online educational videos to reinforce the material.

For other homeschooling parents who hold to an intelligent design view about the origins of our universe, I will state that there are a few mentions of evolution in A Wild Child’s Guide to Endangered Animals by Millie Marotta. Depending on personal beliefs, some parents may wish to avoid that topic while others may use it as a discussion opportunity.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own.
Profile Image for Ashley.
289 reviews
July 4, 2020
Absolutely beautiful illustrations and packed with information on amazing species from around the globe - some of which I'd never heard of before! I am so happy seeing a wide variety of species being represented in this book instead of just the well known that need help - all listed need help, not just those that are considered charismatic, and this author did an absolutely amazing job at bringing them to light. Would highly recommend for readers of all ages.
Profile Image for Devyn.
636 reviews
September 20, 2019
I received this book from Goodreads.

A Wild Child's Guide to Endangered Animals: is a gorgeously illustrated children's book about some of the world's most endangered species seriously at risk of extinction.
It is conveniently organized by habitat with a short and sweet description of the animal alongside those aesthetical works of art.

Can be enjoyed by all ages and would make a wonderful gift for animal enthusiasts with the key paramount of raising awareness.
Profile Image for Christie.
471 reviews4 followers
September 21, 2019
This is a gorgeous book telling the stories of some of the most vulnerable species. This is an easy way to get kiddos interested in preserving the habitats of these endangered species, and others. I can't rave enough about how beautiful the illustrations are--it's like someone colored in those adult coloring books, choosing all of the right colors and adding their own texture to the drawings.
39 reviews4 followers
September 14, 2019
I won a copy of this book from goodreads' giveaway.

A beautifully illustrated book full of informative facts presented in an entertaining way on endangered species that don't get much attention.

Easily enjoyed by anyone, young or old.
Profile Image for Ashley Adams.
1,324 reviews44 followers
October 20, 2019
This really isn't a children's book, and as a reference book it lacks a bit. What makes this piece outstanding is the artwork. Completely mesmerizing illustrations capture texture and detail of endangered species. An absolutely wonderful coffee table book.
201 reviews
November 17, 2019
Each 2 page spread of "A Wild Child's Guide to Endangered Animals" features a beautiful illustration of an animal along with a few paragraphs of text about the animal.
Profile Image for Jackie.
1 review3 followers
December 2, 2019
Such a good book for all ages! Wish it was longer!
Profile Image for 时间的玫瑰.
115 reviews19 followers
May 31, 2020
画得真美啊,每种动物都很美。以至于读到他们都在走向灭绝,变成更加孤独的物种的时候,就更觉得痛心。
460 reviews5 followers
February 9, 2023
this is a really neat look into animals from all over the world
Profile Image for Morgan.
198 reviews2 followers
August 19, 2024
Absolutely breathtaking illustrations and whimsically told overviews of these animals to pique our imagination and curiosity.
59 reviews
May 8, 2025
美麗而多彩的動物,真值得人類好好珍惜。
1,037 reviews4 followers
August 14, 2021
Utterly handsome book featuring illustrations and brief narratives about endangered species.

Spanish version as well.
Profile Image for Tam Wallace.
259 reviews2 followers
August 16, 2020
A wonderfully light-hearted, but truly important look at the strange, but wonderous, species that are facing extinction at the hands of man. Lovely drawings, and short tidbits of information, make this a great book to teach children the importance of respecting their environment. I read the e-version, but the hard cover would be a treasure to own.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews

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