Panther: Shadow of the Swamp

by Jonathan London

Jonathan London and Paul Morin introduce one of the world's most majestic and most endangered animals.

A long, thick tail
twitches in the saw grass.
A shadow flows.

It is Panther.


Deep in the Florida Everglades is a unique and fragile ecosystem of interconnected lakes, rivers, and wetlands. Here egrets preen. Alligators float with eyes like periscopes. Here, among the swamp grass and shadows, threatened by habitat loss, live fewer than fifty Florida panthers, the last of the big cats east of the Mississippi River. With lyrical text and stunning oil paintings, Jonathan London and Paul Morin bring young readers face to face with a rare and elusive wild creature who is as fierce a predator as she is tender a mother.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Nonfiction

32 pages, Hardcover

Published November 1, 2000

About the author

Jonathan London is the author of several celebrated children's books. His commitment to honoring the wonders of the natural world has been lauded by readers and critics alike. He is the author of more than 70 children's books, many of which are about nature. He's also the author of the popular Froggy series. He lives in Graton, California with his wife and two sons.

Reviews

[Tara Schloetter · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fairly short nonfiction picture book filled with lots of information on the Florida panther, an endangered species with only about 30-50 panthers of this species still alive. The book follows a typical day of a mother panther who lives in the Florida Everglades, a swampy and forested region on the Florida coastline. The reader learns about the habitat that the panther lives in, which includes the types of plants and animals that live in this region of the United States. This book gives the perfect amount of information and descriptive details mixed with a storyline to keep the reader engaged while also learning about the Florida panther. This would be a great book to read in a classroom when discussing different habitats because the stunning oil-painted illustrations include a lot of details about what the environment is like in the Everglades. Additionally, this book would be a great read aloud book that many young children enjoy. If students are interested in the information in the book, there is also a page in the back of the book that gives more information on the Everglades and Florida panthers.

[Sean Harding · Rating 3 out of 5]

London Odyssey #93
London returns to his nature books with this good yarn about the panther giving detailed information at the back off the book, and a chance for great discussions about the panther.

[Melanie Constance · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great read. Teaches about Panthers and how they are and I love how at the end it talked about panthers and where they were from and mainly are and how they are an endangered species. My daughter loved this book

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the descriptions of the everglades. They were fantastic. I really liked the book and I don't mind reading it over and over again to my kids.

[Sarah W · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book would work well with early elementary students and can work as a bridge from fiction to nonfiction. The Florida Panther's hunt is laid out as a story.

[Paula · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reads like a picture book.