A visit to a prairie and its inhabitants through a wealth of photos.
This cute and clever rodent features in many children’s books. Patent’s, however, as the title hints, is more about the prairie ecosystem itself and the role of the prairie dog. Like the beaver in her 2019 book in this series (with photos by Michael Runtz) and the gopher tortoise in Madeleine Dunphy’s 2010 series contribution (with photos by Michael Rothman), this species is a keystone, supporting many others in its environment. Focused on some of the “roughly 150” other animals living “in and around” occupied and abandoned burrows, the book sketches a prairie dog’s day, from the emergence of a female at daybreak. The caption tells us that she “signals to her three young pups” but offers no description of that sound. This book is not the place to find basic facts—life span, predators, etc. But some habits, like prairie dog kisses, are noted, and backmatter expands on the animals’ colonies, range, and population before the arrival of European settlers. Cross-section diagrams show an occupied burrow, with labels, and a similar cutaway of an abandoned burrow. Like those by the different photographers in each series book thus far, the pictures are stunning. They fill every page in a patchwork of landscapes and close-ups with sharp details and discreet labels (horned lark, killdeer, pronghorn, and much more), letting us stroll invisibly through the inhabited prairie. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A visually engaging introduction to a keystone species.
(map) (Informational picture book. 6-10)