September is my birthday month. It has always held an air of excitement with the faintest whiff of fall in the air. So it seemed completely appropriate that this new book just arrived on my doorstep. I couldn’t wait to dive in.
The author is Becky Cushing Gop, the head of Massachusetts Audubon West Pleasant Valley Wildlife Sanctuary which jostled my mind to remember that one of the very first photos sent to me by Mike Callahan in my panicked trying-to-save-beavers days was a flow device install he had done for them back in the day.
The artist is Missouri based illustrator Carrie Shryrock and while her beavers aren’t exactly as breathtaking as Kay Undwewood or Gerry Wykes (Probably because given her location she hasn’t spent hours and hours in their presence) her style of dynamic panels does a fantastic job of engaging and telling the story.
The book is full of accurate ecosystem details like what beavers eat and what birds live in their habitat. At the end there is even a glossary of terms and an invitation to go back through and find the included species.
The book is hardbound and oversized so it’s not cheap but it is a beautiful beaver guide for any child or any adult wanting to teach about why beavers matter to the ecosystem.
You can pick up your copy at Amazon or the publisher here: Hatchette Book Group Publishing
