Melissa Gish brings out the beauty of jaguars in this book. I would recommend this book for middle-school readers, since some of the text is difficult for elementary school kids. Gish requires that the reader understand the meaning of such words as evolution, poaching, pelt, food chain--words which should be familiar to middle-school students from science classes. My students especially liked the close-up photographs of jaguars. Many of them were surprised to discover that black panthers were actually jaguars with "melanistic" genetic traits.

Although jaguars are portrayed as fearsome predators, they are also presented as vulnerable to attacks by humans, and encroachment by ranchers and land developers upon their native habitat. Gish goes briefly into the cultural significance of the jaguar for the indigenous tribes of the Amazon basin, and for the early mesoamerican civilizations (Mayans and Aztecs). A few folk-tales from the Mayans and Tupi are included with the scientific text, making the read more interesting. The photos garnered the most attention from my students. It is very rare that we get to see these cats in detail, since they are crepuscular animals, only coming out to feed during the twilight hours. The last chapter suggests that wild-life preserves and captivity are perhaps the best ways to protect jaguars from encroachment on their habitat by poachers and ranchers. Although we really do not know how long they live in the wild, Gish suggests that jaguars live about 10 years longer in captivity. While this is contestable, we know that jaguars have gradually been disappearing from the North American continent over many thousands of years, and will soon go extinct, if government interference and humanitarian organizations do not help protect them from poachers and ranchers.

This book is also great for presenting scientific terms to the young reader. For a teacher who teaches reading this is a great opportunity to teach "Word Attack" skills. Gish reviews the Latin roots of the word "Panther" and includes some other scientific nomenclature. This challenges students to decipher recognizable roots. If each page grows frustrating, there is always a photo of a beautiful cat to encourage the reader to have strength and press onward. ( )