Wild Places

November 27, 2023
Married team the Roccos (How to Send a Hug) showcase the life of naturalist David Attenborough (b. 1926), taking him from youthful presenter of planet Earth to herald of the consequences of shrinking wildlife habitat. Naturalistic illustrations illuminate scenes of Attenborough’s youth and young adulthood with period detail, showing him as a television host introducing audiences to creatures the world over. Gradually, he pays witness to cities taking over areas where wildlife once thrived; “We are replacing the wild with the tame,” reads one included quotation from the figure. As Attenborough ages visibly in successive spreads, wild populations dwindle and weather catastrophes strike. Chatting with experts to learn about the connected ways that human activity is compromising the planet, he creates new programs to publicize broad solutions (“If we eat less meat, there will be more land for wild places”). A hopeful conclusion pictures Attenborough at the head of a procession of people carrying tree saplings to plant, now an exemplar of a public figure who changed course to address climate change. Background characters are portrayed with various skin tones. An author’s note and more about rewilding the planet concludes. Ages 4–8.

December 1, 2023
A tribute to the life's work and message of renowned naturalist, author, and filmmaker David Attenborough. Though light on biographical specifics, even in the afterword, this profile does begin with a young David bicycling out of a smoke-choked English city into a green woodland, where the discovery of an ammonite fossil launches a lifelong interest in wild places and their animal residents and in telling people about both. In a memorable opening image, our planet is overlaid with a parade of dozens of animals that spiral out to finally portray one small, familiar, casually dressed gent. Illustrator John Rocco places Attenborough in paired settings; ugly urban sprawl, razed forests, dead reefs, and barren wastes are depicted alongside lush rain forests, vistas of alternative energy sources, and undersea reaches teeming with marine life. These images provide visual expression to Attenborough's later appeals to live on the Earth more responsibly and to "rewild" overfished oceans and mistreated lands. Attenborough remains a distant figure here but has become undeniably iconic and "our connection to the natural world" and "the voice of nature" over seven decades. In a grand symbolic final scene, he leads a racially diverse line of people from a city of eco-friendly high-rises into an even greener future. For fledgling conservationists and climate activists, the backmatter includes both leads to further resources and a starter table of "Problems" and "Solutions." An inspiring overview of a life dedicated to essential eco-causes. (author's note) (Picture-book biography. 6-8)

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

January 1, 2024
Grades 1-3 Featuring highly detailed full-page illustrations, this picture-book biography traces David Attenborough's life through his relationship with "wild" places--where flora and fauna thrive--as opposed to "tame" places, where humans live and work. Told in short elementary-school-friendly sentences with some science vocabulary, the text offers an overarching look at Attenborough's life so far, jumping from his childhood to college, from television program to television program, all the while following from his life in Cambridge into the wild places and his efforts to help society feel more connected to them. The crisp, neat prose and lush artwork augment the simplicity well, providing strong visualizations to accompany phrases like "unpredictable weather." While technically a biography, this title largely uses Attenborough's life as a guidepost to document global awareness of climate change, while never directly using the phrase. A well-illustrated introduction to the topic with many real-world applicabilities, this is ideal for biography collections and libraries where Rocco's other work is popular, but don't forget to augment it with more science-specific titles as well.

COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from February 23, 2024

Gr 1-3-The Roccos (How To Send A Hug) present a light but sterling biographical account of Sir David Attenborough, a British naturalist, pioneering television host into the natural world, and conservationist. Realistic art-a combination of pencil, watercolor, and digital paint-is rich, textural, and full of movement. When Attenborough was born, for example, "more than two-thirds of our planet was covered in wild places." The spread is two-thirds full of a lush tropical jungle, with Attenborough's family in the remaining third, smoke pluming from factories. This is a biographical sketch of Attenborough's passion for wild places, beginning with his explorations close to his home as a boy and following him to university and BBC Broadcasting. As he floods people's homes, bringing the wild inside, he notices how the natural world shrinks and his voice in conservationism begins. Scenes on double page spreads, with lush greenery and thriving wildlife, contrast starkly with the spaces struck bare by humans via pollution, overfishing, and logging. Interspersed quotes from the film David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet lends authenticity. An author's note and a selected bibliography provides further information on Attenborough's life. Additional back matter includes information on conservation and current concerns and solutions. VERDICT A must-purchase for libraries; children will delight in learning about the "voice of nature."-Rachel Zuffa

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