Saving the Tasmanian Devil: How Science Is Helping the World’s Largest Marsupial Carnivore Survive by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent
Published by HMH Books for Young Readers on August 20th 2019
ISBN: 0544991486
Pages: 80
Format: Chapter Book Nonfiction
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When author Dorothy Patent caught up with college friend , Jenny Marshall Graves, she was shocked to hear that the symbol of Tasmania- the Tasmanian Devil is on the verge of extinction! Graves, a respected geneticist in her home country of Australia, told her she was part of a group of scientists, including a cancer researcher, ecologist, and a graduate student in genomics that are in a race against time to save this Australian symbol from a fatal disease known as Devil Facial Tumor Disease – DFTD.  Where did it come from, how is it transmitted, is it viral or bacterial She was invited to join the group in Australia to see first hand the what is being done to save these animals.

This new addition to the Scientists in the Field series introduces the reader to the plight of the Tasmanian Devil and the people, from the government down to volunteers in the field in their search for a cure or a vaccine that may save this species. In the meantime, scientists have captured healthy devils and put them into “insurance populations” where they will be monitored and hopefully kept safe until they can be reintroduced into the wild.

This addition has all of the qualities that has made this series a must for libraries. The material is presented in a manner that can be understood by the average reader with  photographs and information boxes to support the information. It is STEM at its best!

Reviewed by Kathy George, Gray Public Library, Gray Maine