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Reviewed by:
  • The Tapir Scientist by Sy Montgomery
  • Deborah Stevenson
Montgomery, Sy . The Tapir Scientist; illus. with photographs by Nic Bishop. Houghton, 2013. 80p. (Scientists in the Field) ISBN 978-0-547-81548-0 $18.99 R Gr. 4-8.

The indefatigable pairing of author Montgomery and photographer Bishop now heads to southwestern Brazil, where biologist Pati Medici and her crew study the indigenous lowland tapir amid the wildness of the Patanal wetlands. Montgomery is always good at conveying how laborious biological work can be, and that challenge is a strong focus here as Medici and her crew sprint into thorn-encrusted bushes, sit motionless for hours while being attacked by mosquitoes, and philosophically accept the layer of ticks their clothing accrues, all while getting more near-misses and false successes than actual tapir viewings. The book therefore offers a clear-eyed picture of the challenges and the joys of pioneering fieldwork, and the long wait for the actual tapir encounters allows readers to understand the field crew's excitement when they manage to tag and study some new animals. The book also discusses the PR problem that tapirs, a lesser-known animal, face, while providing a tribute to the environmentally minded youngsters in Brazil and elsewhere who've gotten involved with the tapir's cause. The region itself is a strong focus as well, with many of Bishop's photographs documenting other local fauna. With its dense text and small print, this is definitely aimed at older readers of the Scientists in the [End Page 41] Field series, but there's plenty of information to inform and inspire budding field scientists. The book includes maps, a list of books and websites for more information, and an index.

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