Katherine Rundell is donating all of the royalties from her new book, Vanishing Treasures: A Bestiary of Extraordinary Endangered Creatures, to climate charities in response to the re-election of Donald Trump as U.S. president.
Rundell’s book, published Tuesday by Doubleday, is a look at animals facing extinction, including giraffes, Greenland sharks, and coconut hermit crabs. In a starred review, a critic for Kirkus praised the book as “a clarion call for preservation by way of a delightful bestiary.”
“In light of the election results, Katherine now plans to give 100% of her royalties from Vanishing Treasures to climate charities, in perpetuity,” Doubleday announced in an email.
“The election result is a staggering, catastrophic blow for the planet,” Rundell said in a statement to Kirkus. “It will be tempting, in the years ahead, to say: the fight is lost—but, the time to give up is never.”
Rundell said that she will be donating her royalties to a series of charities that will change every five years. The initial recipients will be two U.K.-based groups: Blue Ventures, which supports coastal fishers, and the Forest Peoples Programme, which works with Indigenous forest-based communities across the world.
“I love both these charities: their tenacity, and their courage, and am proud to be able to contribute to the work they make possible,” Rundell told Kirkus.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
