Bridge to the Wild: Behind the Scenes at the Zoo

by Caitlin O'Connell

Overview

Hear crisp sounds of the hornbill in the cool air.
     Listen to the morning symphony that greets you as you enter the front gate.
     Then, step onto a leafy path that leads to a secret world of animals, each of whom you won’t want to forget, here at Zoo Atlanta.
     Over five days we meet a menagerie of magnificent animals—pandas, elephants, gorillas, meerkats, flamingos and more—alongside the longtime animal lover, scientist, and researcher Caitlin O’Connell. With inside access to the guidance and knowledge of their beloved zoo caretakers and with stunning photographs, we are able to see the day-to-day marvels—and sometimes misfortunes—behind the animals’ enclosures that often go unseen by the everyday zoo visitor.
     In this example of narrative nonfiction at its best, O’Connell has created a bridge to wild, a rare chance to look beyond the zoo and to inspire guests to see for themselves just how special the animals we share our world with are.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780544829350
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	08/02/2016
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	208
File size:	173 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	10 - 12 Years

About the Author

Dr. Caitlin O'Connell is a Consulting Assistant Professor in the Department of Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine and a world renowned expert on elephants and vibrotactile sensitivity. She is the author of the internationally acclaimed nonfiction science memoir, The Elephant's Secret Sense (2007, Free Press). Her narrative nonfiction photo book An Elephant's Life (2011, Lyons Press) uses a graphic novel approach to revealing subtle and intimate aspects of elephant society. Her co-authored nonfiction children's book, The Elephant Scientist (2011, Houghton Mifflin Children's Books) won five awards, including the Robert F. Sibert Honor and Horn Book Honor for 2012. A Baby Elephant In The Wild (2014, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers) is a Junior Library Guild Select, and Elephant Don: The Politics Of A Pachyderm Posse (University of Chicago Press) came out in 2015. Her debut novel was Ivory Ghosts (Random House).  O'Connell is the co-founder and CEO of the nonprofit organization, Utopia Scientific (www.utopiascientific.org), dedicated to research and science education. She is also co-director of Triple Helix Productions, with a mandate to develop more accurate science content for the media. She has written five screenplays with science themes and has just finished her first co-authored novel to inspire girls with an interest in physics. She has taught Science Writing for Stanford University and The New York Times Knowledge Network. Visit her author website at www.caitlineoconnell.com.

Also visit her elephant blog: elephantskinny.tumblr.com. And be sure to watch an award-winning documentary about her research on the Smithsonian Channel: www.smithsonianchannel.com/sc/web/show/3373743/elephant-king.

Editorial Reviews

06/06/2016
The husband-and-wife team of O’Connell and Rodwell (A Baby Elephant in the Wild) broaden their focus from elephants to a range of animals via a tour of Zoo Atlanta. Accessible text and intimate photographs spotlight the residents and staffers at the zoo, capturing the creatures’ dispositions and distinctive appearances, as well as the dedication and compassion of the humans who care for them. Over 13 chapters, O’Connell uses a relaxed first-person narrative to explore animals’ methods of communicating with members of their own species (as well as with their keepers), social and family dynamics, behavioral differences between animals living in captivity and their counterparts in the wild, and how captive breeding programs have helped increase the population of endangered species. Sidebars and captions supply ancillary information and some fun trivia: flamingos’ pink hue comes from the beta carotene in the marine crustaceans they eat, and pandas have developed a “ ‘pseudo-thumb’ that helps them quickly shuck a bamboo shoot of its outer coating.” Readers should find the book’s facts and photos intriguing, and the collaborators’ curiosity and passion inspiring. Ages 10–12. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

* "A solid offering to young animal lovers." – School Library Journal, STARRED review "Readers should find the book’s facts and photos intriguing, and the collaborators’ curiosity and passion inspiring." — Publishers Weekly "O'Connell presents the modern zoo in a clear light, acknowledging the challenges of replicating favorable conditions for the social, physical, and reproductive health of the exhibited animals... An important, engaging introduction to a modern zoo, its dedicated staff, and the fascinating animals in its care." — Kirkus "O’Connell’s love of animals is undeniable, and young readers will identify with the personal details and warm observations she includes." — Booklist "Through her first-person narration, full of curiosity, enthusiasm, humor, and respect for animals, O’Connell exposes a biologist’s thinking process." – Horn Book Magazine —

From the Publisher

★ 04/01/2016
Gr 4–7—O'Connell takes readers through five days of behind-the-scenes access to a number of different exhibits while introducing some of the amazing inhabitants of Zoo Atlanta. There is so much more happening at a zoo than just the proper care and feeding of the animal residents, and O'Connell shares a number of the projects and the people behind them. For example, researchers are looking for ways to increase the likelihood of panda reproduction in captivity, which has proven elusive and difficult. O'Connell also makes clear how important the veterinarians are to the zoo and how they keep a constant eye on all of their charges so that no small illness turns into a larger one or spreads to other animals. The author mingles her narration about her visits to the zoo with animal facts and explanations about behavior, which are often denoted with a different typeface and color. The highlight, and really the focus, is on the special access she was given, a chance to learn about the people who work with the animals, and the mission of zoos to protect species and help world populations of animals. Photographs are dotted throughout the book and give a visual immediacy to the text. VERDICT A solid offering to young animal lovers.—Jody Kopple, Shady Hill School, Cambridge, MA

School Library Journal

2016-06-01
Targeting young readers as "the next generation of conservationists," O'Connell shares observations, research, and photographs (taken with Rodwell, her husband) from a week spent with the animals and keepers at Zoo Atlanta.Scientist O'Connell's field work with elephants in Namibia has engendered several popular works, including Sibert honoree, co-authored by Donna M. Jackson, The Elephant Scientist (2011). Here, she unfurls her day-by-day, behind-the-scenes experiences at the zoo. She observes elephants, pandas, and the large populations of gorillas and orangutans, all under the guidance of mammal curator Rebecca Snyder. Other keepers introduce her to their work with reptiles and birds, and she accompanies the zoo's vet on her rounds. In addition to presenting absorbing facts about pandas, Komodo dragons, lion tamarins, and other species, O'Connell acquaints readers with scientific information and methodology. She explains the significance of dominance hierarchies, parenting behaviors, the sensory adaptations of reptiles, and much more, and she introduces types of data sheets used to observe animals. O'Connell presents the modern zoo in a clear light, acknowledging the challenges of replicating favorable conditions for the social, physical, and reproductive health of the exhibited animals. Her final day at Zoo Atlanta occurs on Endangered Species Day, affording an apt backdrop for highlighting the severe threats posed by global habitat degradation and poaching. An important, engaging introduction to a modern zoo, its dedicated staff, and the fascinating animals in its care. (bibliography, sources, index) (Nonfiction. 9-13)

Kirkus Reviews