Magda: Mommy, if you were in the forest and you met an animal that was endangered, would it poison you?
Me: Uh...what?
Magda: Like would it swoop down and kill you, like right away?
Me: Would what? What kind of animal are you talking about?
Magda: Endangered animals. Are they really poisonous or something?
Me: Ohhhh...no, honey. Endangered means the animal is in danger, not that they're really dangerous.
Magda: In danger of what? Dying?
Me: Yeah, dying out, becoming extinct.
Magda (giving a knowing nod): Oh because they're really old.
Me: Sigh. Just a second. I think I have a book on the computer that can explain this better than I am...
And so it did. Magda now has a better understanding of the meaning of "endangered" and "extinct" (I hope, at least) though I suspect she still thinks the dinosaurs all died of old age at the same time (this book only deals with mammals, so dinosaurs weren't covered).
This book is a good entry to the topic of endangered animals, though the section on "how you can help: was maddeningly vague. I don't think the author sufficiently explains how being sure to recycle your water bottles will prevent pandas from dying. I know Magda had a lot of followup questions, so I'd recommend a trip to the library, museum, or at least the internet after reading this.
BOOK DETAILS:
Endangered and Extinct Mammals
Author: Jennifer Boothroyd
Series: Lightning Bolt Books ™ — Animals in Danger
Publisher: Lerner Publishing Group
Publication Date: February 1, 2014
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Source: NetGalley
Publisher's website
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