50 REASONS TO LOVE ANIMALS

In her latest animal survey, Barr focuses on select wild residents of six habitats threatened by climate change or other human misuse.

The tally begins and ends with elephants but encompasses creatures including puffins, penguins, blue whales, and Bengal tigers. The number included exceeds the 50 singled out for empathy-building observations such as “Giraffes give birth standing up, so their babies start life with a bump as they fall to the ground!” or “Octopuses…solve problems, use tools and, if bored, they play!” Introductory paragraphs on, mostly, the perilous state of each habitat (“Around the world oceans are polluted—awash with plastic”) supplement the titular 50 reasons, and the author tucks in frequent suggestions for low-effort ways young activists can show concern. As in 10 Reasons To Love a Bear (2018) and its predecessors, the smiling, googly-eyed animals in Clulow’s comfortably spacious natural scenes require some getting used to, and some scenes are overlabeled (do readers really need captions for “ice” or “lake”?). Still, the creatures and settings are easily recognizable, and the message is delivered clearly but without the scary urgency of the author’s Red Alert! Endangered Animals Around the World, illustrated by Anne Wilson (2018).

An eye-opener, though the readiest audience probably already loves them.