Bobcat Prowling

About the Author
Maria Gianferrari is a picture book reading/writing, tea-drinking, dog-loving, birdwatching resident of Massachusetts. She lives with her scientist husband and rescue dog, Maple, in a house encircled by trees. Maria writes books that honor our bonds with creatures both domestic and wild, and that celebrate the natural world around us. Bobcat Prowling is a companion book to Maria’s other predator titles with Roaring Brook including Hawk Rising and Coyote Moon, also illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline.
Bagram Ibatoulline is a Russian-born artist who has illustrated many acclaimed books for young readers, including Kate DiCamillo's The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, Jane Yolen's The Scarecrow's Dance, and Lois Lowry's Crow Call. He lives in the Catskills region of New York.
In this companion to Coyote Moon and Hawk Rising, a young bobcat searches a suburban landscape for a territory to call home.
As the day breaks,
feline eyes blink open,
and yowls disrupt the still morning air.
A young bobcat leaves tracks in the snow as he sets out to find a home range of his own. Amidst the harsh winds and icy chill of winter, Yearling travels between the deep wilderness and suburbia, hunting for prey as he goes. He tracks hare, squirrel, pheasant…
Watching.
Waiting.
LEAP!
But each time, he is foiled by the resident predator. Will Yearling find a territory to call his own?
From School Library Journal
Gr 1-2-Action-packed illustrations capture the journey of a yearling bobcat searching for a new territory when he is sent out from his mother's den. The quest for a new home leads the bobcat to encounter many other species, some prey, and others competitors, for food and space. The poetic language captures the details of the bobcat's situation and the accompanying back matter and additional resources provide ample opportunities for young researchers interested in extending their learning. The text itself is not sufficient for research but is an engaging starting point. Ibatoulline's watercolors are detailed and full of energy and emotion. VERDICT A visually arresting introduction to the species that makes its home throughout North America.-John Scottα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.