Nonfiction Picture Book- Almost Gone

 

1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Jenkins, Steve. 2006. ALMOST GONE THE WORLD’S RAREST ANIMALS. New York: HarperCollins Publishers Inc. ISBN 978-0-06-053598-8

2. PLOT SUMMARY

Almost Gone is part of a “Let’s-read-and-find-out” science series. This beautiful book begins with a simple, but poignant explanation of the connection between all living things.  It uses the common chickadee as an example of how the loss of one species affects so many others. Education and conservation are the goals of this important book. 

Starting from the cover page, Jenkins introduces the reader to a myriad of endangered animals.  Ranging from the Miami Blue Butterfly in Florida to the Northern Right Whale of the Atlantic, the pages are filled with illustrations and introductions of almost thirty different animals.  For every animal, there is a short, easy-to-understand paragraph describing the animal, its habitat, and the reason for its endangerment. 

The book ends with an elementary map, showing the approximate locations of the animals and their current prospect. 

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The illustrations of Almost Gone are colorful and eye-catching. The simplicity and spareness of the page layout help the reader focus on the information about the animal. Each animal description includes a shockingly small number of how many of that specific animal is left in the world. Jenkins does a good job of giving the reader baseline information about these precious animals. However, one can be left informed, but discouraged, and even stunted by the end.  There are no action steps given to actually help these animals. 

4. AWARDS & REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL STARRED: “This engaging title is informative as well as visually stunning. Jenkins captures the essence of his subjects with appropriately colored, cut-paper collage illustrations on stark white backgrounds.” 

5. CONNECTIONS

*If teachers or students want to find action steps to helping with important conservation work, there are great websites with more information and suggestions:

https://www.worldwildlife.org/how-to-help

https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/nature/save-the-earth/article/save-animals

https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/youth/conservation_for_kids.html

*There are so many other conversationalist books for children, such as: 

Clinton, Chelsea. DON’T LET THEM DISAPPEAR: 12 ENDANGERED SPECIES ACROSS THE GLOBE. ISBN 978-0-525-51432-9

Tomsic, Kim. THE ELEPHANTS COME HOME: A TRUE STORY OF SEVEN ELEPHANTS, TWO PEOPLE, AND ONE EXTRAORDINARY FRIENDSHIP. ISBN 978-1-66885-440-2