Tasmanian Devil: On Location

ISBN 10: 0688097278 ISBN 13: 9780688097271

Publisher: Lothrop Lee & Shepard, 1992

Synopsis

That the Tasmanian Devil deserves his reputation as one of nature's fiercest creatures, with jaws that can crush bullets and a hostile temperament that extends even to his own kind, is revealed in a fascinating glimpse of an endangered species.

About this title

About the Author

In Her Own Words...

"Kathy and Tara Darling collaborate on children’s books that focus on rare and endangered wildlife. To their knowledge, they are the world’s only mother/daughter wildlife writer/photographer team.

"Although they are mother and daughter, they work as equal partners. Tara explains, “We complement each other. I see in photographic images and Mother sees in word pictures. These two different views grow together as we work on a project, until the words and photos blend into one single statement.”

"The Darlings studied the manatees of Crystal River, Florida, over a period of two years as they prepared Manatee: On Location, the first book in the prize-winning On Location series. The arctic wilderness of Round Island, Alaska, the site of their second book for Lothrop, Walrus: On Location, tested togetherness as they sat in a tiny wet tent and waited out violent storms. There were scary moments in Belize when Kathy was attacked by a vampire bat and in Australia when Tara had the seat of her pants ripped out by a sea lion bull. But, they write, “we think making young people aware of the danger the animals are in more than outweighs any danger we might face. We care, and we hope through our words and pictures that we will get young people to care too. Maybe some will even care enough to choose this career for themselves.”

"Together, the Darlings have done twenty books about animals as exotic as Tasmanian devils and as familiar as dogs. Kathy Darling has written scores of books. Her subjects have ranged from the animals she writes about in her books with Tara to the experiments in chemistry and physics she writes about with Vicki Cobb in Wanna Bet?, Bet You Can!, and Bet You Can’t!. Her interest in science began as a child, and in college she majored in biology. In addition to being a writer, Mrs. Darling has been a children’s book editor, a publicist, and a syndicated newspaper columnist.

"Tara Darling studied marine biology at Boston University and worked with penguins and otters at the New England Aquarium. After several years of doing TV research in a New York office, she realized that capturing the lives of endangered animals on film was work that was infinitely more rewarding to her. A member of the Professional Photographers of America, her credits include a CD-ROM about dogs, as well as numerous magazine covers."

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-5-- A book about one of the least darling of all the Earth's creatures. Indeed, this fine book with expressive, revealing photographs is not for any budding zoologists who turn green-at-the-gills at the first sight of blood. The pictures here are unflinchingly accurate, matching the animal's basic characteristics described in the noteworthy text: voracious eating habits, angry temperament, cannibalistic tendencies, and savage sibling rivalries. Subsequent chapters offer clear, witty explanations of the devil's birth, development, fighting ability, eating preferences, nocturnal nature, excellent senses, and protected status. A small but useful fast-fact and index section is included. Although this strong book will either attract or repel its readers, it is doubtful that a more thorough look at the Tasmanian devil can be found for children. Besides, any animal that can consume a whole cow in 2 days or enough rat poison to kill 40 people without getting sick deserves a second look. Those libraries with Lynn Stone's Tasmanian Devils (Rourke, 1990) have a good introduction but not the whole story. All should consider this 40-page eye-opener. --Amy Nunley, Toledo-Lucas County Public Library, OH
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Lothrop Lee & Shepard
• Publication date: 1992
• ISBN 10: 0688097278
• ISBN 13: 9780688097271
• Binding: Library Binding
• Number of pages: 40
• Illustrator: Darling Tara