Lions FROM THE PUBLISHER
Humans have long regarded the "King of the Beasts" with awe. The dominant predator in Africa, the lion stalks relatively large prey animals in fairly open country and feedS on a variety of prey species. Still, their numbers are declining almost everywhere.
With its authoritative information based on world-recognized research, up-to-date information, and spectacular color photography and range maps, Lions helps readers of all ages discover fascinating facts about this phenomenal animal. This book is a wonderful general introduction to the remarkably adaptable lion, providing information on its characteristics, its pride (the long-lasting core of lion society), its uniquely social nature, studies in the wild, and the great conservation efforts being made on behalf of the Asiatic subspecies of lion. For ages 10+.
About the Author:
Brian Bertram is a freelance zoological advisor, acting principally for the Bristol Zoo Gardens, England, as Special Projects Coordinator, where he is responsible for a variety of new development projects. He was Curator of Mammals at the Zoological Society of London, where he was responsible for all the big cats-along with 150 other species of mammals-as well as the Aquarium and Invertebrates. He spent four years studying lions and leopards in the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania.
FROM THE CRITICS
Children's Literature - Lois Rubin Gross
Forget "hakuna matata," forget shaman baboons and vaudevillian meerkats. In fact, forget any cartoon "king of beasts" that you ever saw because Dr. Brian Bertram has written a true-to-life study of the African lion as serious as any written with a young audience in mind. Bertram, a Ph.D. who spent four years studying lions in the Serengeti National Park, includes every detail of his subject's lifestyle and habitat. He covers the history and mythology of the great cats, their social interactions in prides, their gender-specific roles in hunting and family responsibility, their mating habits, and their geographic diversity. He even explains how the lion got his roar! He also shows how lions are impacted by man's encroachment, and what the lions' dwindling numbers mean in terms of environmental balance. The vocabulary used in this book is very challenging, almost scholarly, like a clearly written encyclopedia article. Dr. Bertram does not condescend to young readers. Formatted like a picture book to accommodate stunning and graphic photos of lions in the wild, its size and shape may turn off sophisticated readers-the very ones who will most benefit from this exhaustive study of the species, Panthera leo. Index, charts, and recommended readings are appended.
Booknews
Accompanied by a number of color photographs, the text explores the behavior and biology of lions and discusses how interaction with human populations has affected them. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.
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