Raising Don: The True Story of a Spunky Baby Tapir by Georgeanne Irvine. 36 p. Southwestern Publishing House, October 11, 2022. 9781943198146. (Review of finished copy courtesy of Blue Slip Media.)
Happy Friday! What a day we are having hear in northern NJ weather-wise! The temperature plummeted from the mid-eighties to the low sixties last evening, then to the low fifties overnight! I hope you get out and enjoy some of it!
Fact Friday wishes an early happy book birthday to Raising Don: the True Story of a Spunky Baby Tapir by Georgeanne Irvine. Don's birth was celebrated by the scientists and caregivers at the San Diego Zoo. He was the first Baird's tapir to be born in captivity in more than thirty years. Baird's tapirs, native to Central America, are endangered. The celebration quickly turned to concern because Luna, the tapir mom rejected her newborn and, instead of feeding and nurturing him, pushed him around her enclosure. Luckily, caretakers were there quickly to intervene and his injuries were mild.
But the baby, named Don in honor of a retired zoo veterinarian, needed milk, preferably his mother's milk. Readers will learn how the team solved that problem as well as other challenges they had trying to teach a baby tapir to be a tapir.
Full-color photos chronicle Don's life at the zoo and will definitely elicit plenty of "Aw!" and "So cute!" commentary. The paper is sturdy enough to hold up to multiple readings. The end pages are bright yellow and feature Don's footprints in front and "Ten Things You and Your Family Can Do to Help Wildlife" on the back end. Back matter includes extra tapir fun facts, a map showing where tapirs live in the world and a list of threats to wild tapirs along with thumbnail photos of the four different kinds.
This cheerful, accessible book will have wide appeal and is a terrific addition to any library! Look for it on October 11.
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