WOW Recommends: Wildlife Crossings of Hope
To open any news source or social media platform today is to witness stories of migration: opinions and debates about what counts as home(s), the multitude of journeys connected to these and the challenges encountered along the way. Wildlife Crossings of Hope reminds us that these stories of movement, loss and survival extend far beyond human experience.
Told through a series of vignettes, author Jamie Green introduces readers to a diverse array of animals from around the world and the human-made obstacles they face in navigating their shrinking and fragmented habitats while also showcasing the wide-reaching cast of characters who play a part in researching, designing, building and monitoring innovative wildlife crossings. Examples such as the construction of inch-wide bamboo walkways for ants in Southern China and the dismantling of dams in Japan and South Africa illustrate the multitude of efforts undertaken to ensure free movement of our planet's feathered, furred and finned cohabitants. Detailed back matter includes a complete listing of the scientific names of all creatures discussed, source notes, a bibliography, an index and action items for those who want to further support these efforts.
Drawing upon their own appreciation of the natural world, illustrator Jamie Green uses a limited palette (blue and mustard) to create the duotone images that accompany each chapter. Full-page and spot illustrations feature some of the animals, habitats, structures and methods used in the wildlife crossings. The use of shadow and light highlights both the danger and hope central to these stories.
Wildlife Crossings of Hope addresses what it might take for animals to move freely and why this type of movement is important for all of us. Moving beyond information and facts, each vignette introduces complex interdependent networks of impact and care, making connection a central theme throughout. In detailing animals, journeys—those both chosen and forced—readers are invited to consider themselves in these contexts. Told in a narrative style, and using present day analogies to make scientific concepts relevant to the lives of young people, Wildlife Crossings of Hope offers an easy way to see the lives and journeys of these animals as not-too-different from our own.
Teddi Lynn Chichester is a university English Literature instructor at UCLA, whose writing and teaching is driven by her connections to and ponderings about the natural world and the lengths people go to protect these spaces. Wildlife Crossings of Hope is her first book for young readers. More information about her life, work and favorite conservation groups can be found on her website.
Jamie Green is an illustrator and maker whose childhood on the beaches of Florida almost swayed them to become a marine biologist. In addition to books about the natural world such as One Long Line (2024) and Mushroom Rain (2022), other illustrated works include A Line Can Go Anywhere (2025) and Brothers in Arms: A True World War II Story of Wojtek the Bear and the Soldiers Who Loved Him (2022). Visit their website to inquire more about their work.--Recommended by Dorea Kleker, University of Arizona
Title: Wildlife Crossings of Hope: Connecting Creatures around the World
Author: Teddi Lynn Chichester
Illustrator: Jamie Green
ISBN: 978-0823453542
Pub Date: July 2, 2024
Publisher: Holiday House
Each month a committee of Worlds of Words advisors recommends a book published within the last year. Our hope is to spark conversations on our website and on social media about the book that expand global understandings and perceptions. Please join us by leaving a comment. You can also share your thoughts with us by using the hashtag #WOWRecommends on social media.
