Bobcat Prowling

by Maria Gianferrari, Bagram Ibatoulline (Illustrator)

In this companion to Coyote Moon and Hawk Rising , a young bobcat searches a suburban landscape for a territory to call home.

As the day breaks,
feline eyes blink open,
and yowls disrupt the still morning air.

A young bobcat leaves tracks in the snow as he sets out to find a home range of his own. Amidst the harsh winds and icy chill of winter, Yearling travels between the deep wilderness and suburbia, hunting for prey as he goes. He tracks hare, squirrel, pheasant…

Watching.

Waiting.

LEAP!

But each time, he is foiled by the resident predator. Will Yearling find a territory to call his own?

Genres: Picture Books, Nonfiction, Animals, Nature, Childrens, Cats

48 pages, Hardcover

Published March 22, 2022

About the author

Bird nerd; nature and animal lover; writer of fiction and nonfiction picture books.

pennyandjelly.com

#pennyandjelly on Instagram

Reviews

[Michele Knott · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic companion to Coyote Moon and Hawk Rising, readers will love this exciting story of the young Yearling Bobcat.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as an adult reader for the AR Diamond Book Award. There are few authors that can pull off the second person point of view, but this author did it with ease. This book will be an good one to give to any child that is interested in animals/nature. Illustrations add a nice watercolor touch to each page and bring the text to life.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

4 1/2 stars. A bobcat yearling is driven away from its home by its mother, now ready to start a new family. Various, diverse children catch sight of the young animal as it sets forth to fend for itself and find its own home range. Multiple run-ins with other native animals, already occupying desirable niches, reveal the complex community that inhabit rural and suburban woodland edges. Beautiful, realistic, watercolor illustrations reveal the resilience of native animals and show how humans and wildlife can exist in proximity. Backmatter includes additional facts and suggestions for further reading and viewing

[Andrea Wang · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful, lyrical nonfiction picture book about a young yearling bobcat's search for a new home range. Filled with action as Yearling stalks prey only to be chased away time and time again by another predator whose territory he has strayed into, we follow Yearling's long but ultimately successful journey. The author makes judicious use of the second person POV, inviting readers to observe the bobcat as well as the environment around them. The illustrations are gorgeous and by the same artist as Gianferrari's earlier book, Coyote Moon. Lots of great facts in the backmatter, too.

[Alissa Tsaparikos · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really well-done nonfiction piece about the life of a young Bobcat. Usually illustrations are never as good as photos when it comes to non-fiction, but this one stands out with with eye-catching detail. It includes several pages of additional back matter about the life of these animals as well as the terminology used, making it an excellent choice for school and classroom libraries as well as public libraries.

[A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated and informative, with lively action words and poetic language as readers track a yearling bobcat in its efforts to secure territory of its own.

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author/illustrator team Maria Gianferrari and Bagram Ibatoulline, who previously collaborated on the picture book Coyote Moon , return with this second marvelous work of natural history for young people, this time exploring the world of bobcats. The narrative follows the journey of Yearling, a young bobcat whose mother was ejected him from his natal home, and who must go in search of a territory of his own. As he follows train tracks and rivers, he finds many likely territory and potential prey, only to discover that each territory is claimed, whether by lynx, coyote or fellow bobcats. Finally, Yearling finds a suburban territory that is free, and settles into his new home...

Bobcat Prowling is a lovely book, pairing an engaging and educational narrative with gorgeous illustrations. The story of Yearling's journey is engrossing, as he searches for a place to call home, and young readers and listeners will be rooting for him to find his own territory. The accompanying artwork, done in watercolor, is absolutely beautiful, with an almost photo-realistic quality at times. I loved Bagram Ibatoulline's depiction of all of the different animals, and of the snowy world through which Yearling journeys at first, until spring comes and he finds a home. The afterword, which gives more information about bobcats, how they hunt and what they eat, is most welcome, as is the list of further reading and resources. Recommended to all young animal and nature lovers, and to anyone seeking more narrative-driven books about bobcats for children.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

Throughout countless hours over decades, not a single one is seen. Regardless of the habitat explored, they remain elusive. They prefer the shadows, moving during the in between time before sunrise and after sunset. Movement in daylight is out of necessity.

Maybe, the enormous ''house cat'' running from one wooded area to another wooded area across a neighbor's vacant lot is a first sighting in more than sixty years. Their presence can be fleeting. After reading Bobcat Prowling (Roaring Brook Press, March 22, 2022) written by Maria Gianferrari with pictures by Bagram Ibatoulline, readers (this reader did) will acquire an eye for spotting this member of the larger feline family and smaller lynx group.

My full recommendation https://librariansquest.blogspot.com/...

[Donna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Challenge: Book-a-Day-in-May/31 Books in May 2022. Softly and beautifully rendered illustrations in realistic watercolor by artist Bagram Ibatoulline embed the mixture of third- and second-person narrative in a story of a yearling bobcat's maturation and adaptation to the suburbs encroaching on wild territories. Endpapers are of a subtle-painted map of the Vermon-Massachusetts border across which the young bobcat searches for his own territory. Information about the bobcat is included at the end of the book along with a short bibliography and website references. A way to introduce children to the realities of a carnivore's life within the beauty of nature. Look forward to reading the back list of the Gianferrari/Ibatoulline collaboration for Coyote Moon and Hawk Rising.

[Kelsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

The pictures in this book were pretty, but felt very dated. It looked like everything was taking place in the year 2000 (characters’ clothing styles and other background features), but this was never overtly stated, even in the text following the story or on the book jacket. Thus, it felt nostalgic without purpose or function, which just made it feel old and stuffy.

The text was also elevated and antiquated in a way that wasn’t appealing and wouldn’t feel appealing to children (despite this book being nominated for the Red Clover Book Award, which I don’t understand).

Finally, the lack of a personal name for The Yearling (and eventually The Bobcat) just made it even harder to relate to the story’s main character, which made an already unrelatable story feel even more distant.

[Natalie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bobcat is old enough to head out on his own to find his own territory. Along the way he encounters a Canada lynx, another resident bobcat, and a coyote and he must move on to find unclaimed territory.

Content: The illustrations are beautiful and there are some of the bobcat pouncing on prey, but there is no blood to be seen. There is just enough fur or feathers showing to show that he did catch his prey. This might bother some children who are especially sensitive to these things, but more likely to spark curiosity in others.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful paintings of winter landscapes and the animals (including humans) inhabiting them. Lovely and accessible story of how a young bobcat must find its way to its own turf. Helpful list of vocabulary at the end. (The only thing I didn't like was the illustration of birds at the feeder which showed European birds, the great tit, not a species on this continent and thus out of place in this story about the bobcat, indigenous to North America.)

[Becky B · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bobcat is now old enough its mother pushes it out and it has to find a territory of its own. It searches in rural and suburban settings for a home and tries to hunt along the way.

Ibatoulline's illustrations are stunningly photo-realistic. This book helps readers understand the everyday activities of a bobcat and also how territorial they are. The capturing of prey is illustrated in tactful was that don't show blood.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful, engaging, and informative. My only, um, concern, is that the back matter makes the implication that bobcats are so adaptable, so successful, that not only do we not have to worry about leaving habitat for them, but that they can be pests. The author's true point is a bit more subtle, though; it's that we can share our world with them.

[Angela De Groot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another enthralling NF pb from the author of Hawk Rising and Coyote Moon. Follow a yearling bobcat as he travels far and wide to find his own home territory. Lyrical text and gorgeous art. Back matter includes a fun list of How to Hunt Like a Bobcat.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This would be a great read-aloud for elementary school kids, as a yearling bobcat is kicked out from his mother's den, to go roaming and hunting for his own territory. The pictures show chasing and pouncing, but not the bloody eating.

[Lisa D · Rating 5 out of 5]

This will win awards! What a beautiful & amazing book ! Loved it! What a masterpiece!

[Cynthia Platt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful writing paired with gorgeous illustrations--nonfiction at its very best.

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The illustrations in this story bring the bobcat to life. Readers may be surprised at where these animals sometimes call home. Great backmatter and almost lulling narrative.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great information and adds a nice story element of following the bobcat on his adventures.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations

[wildct2003 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book and pictures

[Miss Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

An early elementary nonfiction story book about the first year of a bobcats life and the adventures he might have with simple nonfiction facts at end.

[Patricia J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lyrical page-turner and upclose look; kids will love this!

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Learned an incredible amount from this book. 6yo and I were enraptured. The book's language is advanced so I reworded many pages after reading aloud. 6yo understood the concepts but not the words.

[Halon W · Rating 4 out of 5]

lovely artwork

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a mix of fiction and nonfiction. The fiction story follows a young bobcat, newly on his own, searching for his own territory. But it is true to what a young bobcat is likely to experience on his own. Back matter includes information about bobcats and a bibliography. The watercolor paintings by Bagram Ibatoulline are gorgeous and realistic.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beautiful nature illustrations by the Russian born illustrator Ilaboulline and looking at my read list I have seen some of his wrk prior to this title and enjoyed it.
He definitely adapts his style to the subject matter which is a very good trait. However, in this title as I read along enjoying all the illustrations it was an abrupt view as I looked at the bobcat chasing a rabbit in a suburban backyard which looked as if it were done by computer generated art .
This nonfiction picture book tells a story of a young bobcat locating his territory free of other hunting animals. Title includes several pages of added information including what prey they hunt and how they hunt. Crepuscular is certainly a good word to describe them as I have seen them many times at dusk and rarely at dawn. And yes, many times in the few hours preceding noon and early afternoon.
I