HELLO, I'M A PANGOLIN

Join the only warm-blooded animal with scales on a quest for ants and termites over African grasslands.

Not to be confused with giant anteaters, armadillos, or anything else (“some people even say I look like an artichoke with a face”), the eight species of pangolins are actually related to bears and cats, walk on their hind legs (“like a T. rex!”), and can roll up into an armored ball to repel predators. Unfortunately, such defenses don’t help against human predators, who misguidedly harvest pangolin scales for supposed medical purposes. According to a closing note, humans poach up to 200,000 pangolins a year, giving them the status of “most illegally trafficked mammal on Earth.” Still, glimpses of people working to preserve pangolin populations (perhaps including the offstage child whose brown-skinned hand is inserted into one of the finely detailed illustrations) add an encouraging note; the closing fact file offers leads to animal-friendly organizations to support. Scenes of a lion fruitlessly trying to munch on a rolled-up pangolin and later views of an irrepressibly cute pangolin baby add plenty of visual pizzazz to this plea to readers’ conscience. “Okay, well, there’s oodles more ants to eat, so we’d better get going,” says the pangolin parent, strolling off into the sunset. “But I hope to see you again soon!” Human characters are diverse.

An engagingly informal appeal.