A Passion for Elephants: The Real Life Adventure of Field Scientist Cynthia Moss - Hardcover

Toni Buzzeo, a former teacher and media specialist, is now a full time author with many picture books to her credit, including Adventure Annie Goes to Kindergarten, The Sea Chest, and the Caldecott Honor winner One Cool Friend. She and her husband, Ken, divide their time between Sarasota, Florida and Buxton, Maine.

Holly Berry is a printmaker and acclaimed illustrator of a number of picture books, including Colorful Dreamer, How Mama Brought the Spring (a Charlotte Zolotow Honor Book) and The Impudent Rooster (a Society of Illustrators Original Art Silver Medalist). She received her BFA in illustration from the Rhode Island School of Design and now lives in Waldoboro, Maine.

K-Gr 3—This engaging and descriptive narrative chronicles the life of animal researcher and elephant advocate Cynthia Moss, who has lived alongside and studied these creatures for 40 years. The book begins with Moss developing a love of nature as a child while riding her horse through the woods of Ossining, NY. A few years later, the adventurous teen went away to school in Virginia, where she continued to hone her equestrian skills. After college, she embarked on her biggest adventure of all: moving to Africa. Immediately, she felt at home and found a job photographing elephants for a renowned zoologist. Together, they established the Amboseli Elephant Research Project. Moss fell in love with the "enormous, gentle animals" and devoted her life to studying their behavior and relationships. She took on the monumental task of educating the world about her beloved elephants and spoke out against poachers who kill them for their ivory tusks. Buzzeo points out through a refrain, "Cynthia Moss is not afraid of BIG things." Each spread features a particular episode in the activist's life, recounted in illuminating verse and illustrated with Berry's atmospheric mixed-media illustrations, which evoke the splendor of Africa. The rich colors, interesting textures, and patterns and vast landscapes draw readers into Moss's world. An addendum provides a brief biography of Moss along with back matter. VERDICT This well-executed narrative biography will pique the curiosity of animal lovers and young scientists alike.—Linda L. Walkins, Saint Joseph Preparatory High School, Boston, MA