Hello, I'm a Pangolin (Meet the Wild Things, Book 2)

August 1, 2024
Grades K-2 Greetings are in order for the two precious featured creatures in the Meet the Wild Things series (2 new titles). The author/illustrator couple Hayley and John Rocco, ambassadors for a nonprofit focused on conservation and rewilding South Africa, each work on the Meet the Wild Things series features an animal that is in need of conservation efforts. Lovely pencil, watercolor, and digital illustrations follow a specific species throughout its day-to-day activities. The narration addresses the reader in second person regarding how the creatures eat, sleep, interact, and ultimately, survive. Hello, I'm a Pangolin features a Temminck's pangolin, an endangered species that uses thick scales and a quick change rolling into a ball form to protect itself from predators. The pangolin is noted to be, oddly, most closely related to bears and cats, and to only give birth to one baby pangopup a year. Back matter features additional facts, notes on the endangerment of each species, and organizations working to save them. Each reads like a picture book, making a solid serial option for an informative, nature-inspired read aloud series in the classroom, library youth department, and beyond.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

October 1, 2024
Join the only warm-blooded animal with scales on a quest for ants and termites over African grasslands. Not to be confused with giant anteaters, armadillos, or anything else ("some people even say I look like an artichoke with a face"), the eight species of pangolins are actually related to bears and cats, walk on their hind legs ("like a T. rex!"), and can roll up into an armored ball to repel predators. Unfortunately, such defenses don't help against human predators, who misguidedly harvest pangolin scales for supposed medical purposes. According to a closing note, humans poach up to 200,000 pangolins a year, giving them the status of "most illegally trafficked mammal on Earth." Still, glimpses of people working to preserve pangolin populations (perhaps including the offstage child whose brown-skinned hand is inserted into one of the finely detailed illustrations) add an encouraging note; the closing fact file offers leads to animal-friendly organizations to support. Scenes of a lion fruitlessly trying to munch on a rolled-up pangolin and later views of an irrepressibly cute pangolin baby add plenty of visual pizzazz to this plea to readers' conscience. "Okay, well, there's oodles more ants to eat, so we'd better get going," says the pangolin parent, strolling off into the sunset. "But I hope to see you again soon!" Human characters are diverse. An engagingly informal appeal.(Informational picture book. 5-7)

COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

October 4, 2024

K-Gr 2-First-person narratives from lovable endangered species encourage children to learn more. In each book, an animal introduces itself in a conversational way-the quokka's fun energetic speech is especially endearing-and shares facts about its species. To keep readers engaged, each animal poses questions to children, such as the sloth asking, "How often do you poop?" or "Can you swim?" Each narrative also explains the dangers the animals face and what people are doing to help them. The mostly full-page illustrations are lovely, especially the perspective from the ground looking up into the sunlit leaves surrounding the sloth. Some readers might wish there were more detailed or close-up drawings of features mentioned (e.g., the sloth's claws or the pangolin's scales), or concrete examples of how kids can help. There are no works cited aside from acknowledgements at the end when the author and illustrator mention people who helped them. End notes include additional information about the species and why they're endangered. VERDICT Warm presentations of vulnerable species will appeal to young animal lovers in these read alouds.-Elissa Cooper

Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2024
A breezy introduction to the species narrated by a pangolin. Information covered includes diet, behaviors, threats, and habitat. Realistic illustrations and engaging questions will draw readers into the book. Detailed back matter provides more information and discusses why the species is endangered.

(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)