A Leopard Diary: My Journey into the Hidden World of a Mother and Her Cubs

Gr 3-6–A leopard mother, usually an extremely difficult animal to track much less photograph, has given birth to two cubs on a reserve in Botswana, giving this wildlife author a rare opportunity to use her professional photographer’s skills. What made this endeavor an even more successful enterprise, Kambango, an experienced tracker familiar with the mother leopard and the preserve, took the job to guide Eszterhas into the wilderness. For young readers, this is an adventure of a lifetime, as they can follow along on a touching account of a leopard mothering her cubs and view the newborns learning vital skills. The diary format engages readers with text and photographs that reveal their progress alongside the hard realities of survival. It feels like a welcome letter sent back home, a real treat in book format. Back matter consists of an interview with the tracker; information about Children in the Wilderness, nonprofit organization for conservation; and a glossary.