Children's Books discussion

Our first book for this club will be The Search for Olinguito: Discovering a New Species. This discussion will be for July and August, and of course, remain open after that for any additional comments and discussion.

The author, Sandra Markle, is a well-known author of science books, especially animal science books for children. This is a fascinating look at how the zoologists discovered this before unknown South American species (unknown to the scientific community, that is, not unknown to the people who lived in the area). It was also interesting to read about the years long process it took to have the olinguito accepted as a distinct species by the rest of the scientific community. The mostly color photos are clear and the furry little animals are adorable.

It's amazing what secrets our planet still holds for the curious explorers.

I am truly enjoying Sandra Markle's The Search for the Olinguito and I especially appreciate how the involved and arduous process of discovering and verifying the Olinguito as a new racoon family species is so meticulously and in minute detail, but still always engagingly and evocatively recounted (with words simple enough for easy comprehension, but also without too much scientific jargon and thankfully without also ever talking down to the intended audience, older children above the age of eight or nine).

While Sandra Markle's presented narrative is of course first and foremost a paean and homage to the scientific process, and clearly shows and describes the specifics of all of the research, testing, analysis and even the mathematics that Olinguito discoverer Kristofer Helgen had to engage in and go through before his assumption that there really is an Olinguito and that said animal is a bona fide separate species in the family Procyonidae and not just an aberrant Olingo, I guess there was also more a bit of good luck and fortune involved. Especially the many collected museum Olingo specimens and pelts available to and for Kristofer Helgen for study and testing, as well as the convenient fact that "Ringer" (the captive and assumed zoo Olingo that actually has now been categorically proven to have been an Olinguito) had frozen blood and tissue samples and therefore of course DNA stored (after she died in 1976) and that this very DNA was able to be compared with a now by Helgen suspected Olinguito pelt (pelt 66753 from a 1923 expedition to Ecuador) and found to be the same with regard to DNA (read the same species, a previously officially undiscovered species of Procyonidae that Helgen then christened the Olinguito, which is Spanish for Little Olingo).

Highly recommended and of much teaching and learning value (especially because author Sandra Markle has also included appreciated and meticulous source notes, a detailed glossary and suggestions for further research and study), I guess the only minor addition that I personally would have wanted with and for The Search for the Olinguito would be some line drawings and illustrations of Olinguito anatomy alongside of the accompanying photographs, and perhaps also an illustrated racoon "family tree" that shows where the Olinguito is situated compared to other related animals like the Racoon, the Ringtail, the Olingo etc. Four stars (and really, truly a wonderful and educational offering for both classroom and at home science and biology, zoology education and simple interest)!

I just picked this up at the library. It looks great.The Search for Olinguito: Discovering a New Species I love books on taxonomy and classification.

Karen wrote: "I just picked this up at the library. It looks great.The Search for Olinguito: Discovering a New Species I love books on taxonomy and classification."

I hope you enjoy it, I found this book excellent and very readable and approachable.

Picked up today, hope to read soon!

Cheryl wrote: "Picked up today, hope to read soon!"

I hope you enjoy it, I found the book surprisingly good.

Ok, I have read it now, and I did enjoy it. I like that it stresses science as methodical, careful work, not as 'Eureka' moments, which is how I learned about it decades ago.

Overall, I do recommend the book. But I, personally, also wish it were longer and more in-depth. And had more context. Well, that's just me - I bet there are lots of people happy for very short good science book.

Cheryl wrote: "Ok, I have read it now, and I did enjoy it. I like that it stresses science as methodical, careful work, not as 'Eureka' moments, which is how I learned about it decades ago.

Overall, I do recomme..."

I agree about personally wanting a bit more length, but for the intended audience, I think the length and the "depth" was probably just right. I would have liked more information on the earlier expeditions (and how in those days, these expeditions of discovery usually meant simply killing as many animals as possible, something that is not so much the case anymore).

I loved this! What a great choice for our first book! Here's my review: "This is wonderful! It's both a fascinating look at a new species in the raccoon family as well as a great example of the scientific process at work! It carefully explains what led Kristofer Helgen to suspect there was an unknown species; he was studying pelts and skulls of olingos as he tried to determine if all olingos were the same species or if they consisted of different species. Then he noticed that some pelts were distinct from the pelts of olingos he had been studying...they had reddish fur and smaller ears and shorter tails. Their skulls were a different shape as well. He began to wonder if this was actually an olingo at all. The book then explains the steps he took to learn more...finding other pelts and skulls that resembled the first, having DNA testing done, and then beginning the process to try to locate olinguitos in the wild. I also love that it explains that even after they had found olinguitos in the wild, they weren't finished. They had to learn more and have their research go through the peer review process. A few other things I love/appreciate: the photographs are wonderful! It includes an index, table of contents, bibliography, and glossary (perfect for studying nonfiction text structures)! It includes ideas for ways that children can be "science detectives". And it points out that there are other unknown species and other discoveries yet to be found!"

Jenny wrote: "I loved this! What a great choice for our first book! Here's my review: "This is wonderful! It's both a fascinating look at a new species in the raccoon family as well as a great example of the sci..."

I especially liked how it was shown that aside from the scientific tearing and such, there was also a tremendous amount of good fortune an serendipity involved, especially with regard to Ringer and that her frozen DNA was available for comparison with that one pelt Helgen suspected might not be an olingo (and that while for us the olinguito is a newly discovered species, for the locals it was not).

Manybooks wrote: "Jenny wrote: "I loved this! What a great choice for our first book! Here's my review: "This is wonderful! It's both a fascinating look at a new species in the raccoon family as well as a great exam..."

All great points, Gundula! I thought this was a fantastic science book and engaging as well. There was so much of value in it.

Jenny wrote: "Manybooks wrote: "Jenny wrote: "I loved this! What a great choice for our first book! Here's my review: "This is wonderful! It's both a fascinating look at a new species in the raccoon family as we..."

For both at school and at home!

!Olinguito, de La A a la Z!/Olinguito, from A to Z! by Lulu Delacre

This is a great companion to the book that was read this month.
This simple bilingual alphabet of the flora and fauna of the cloud forests of South America depicts on a few pages a shy olinguito peeking out from a tree. The back matter includes a short history of the discovery of the olinguito, a description of the cloud forests, and a brief sentence about each plant and animal depicted in the book. The illustrations are exquisite.