Phantom of the Prairie: Year of the Black-Footed Ferret [Hardcover]

Jonathan London (Author), Barbara Bash (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1998 | Age Level: 5 and up

From a review by Booklist: "London recounts the adventures of a litter of black-footed ferrets (in particular, the livelist, Phantom) through the seasons of a year as they grow and mature. Born in an abandoned prairie-dog home on the high prairie, they explore, learn to hunt, and are stalked by a coyote. Finally, Phantom sets off alone to find her own dog town where she mates and bears a litter in the spring. Although the story is fictionalized, London's vivid text and Bash's vibrant artwork convey much information about the life cycle and habits of this rarest of North American mammals."

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 4?This brief informational story details the life cycle of one of North America's most endangered species (the author's note claims that they are the rarest, but the Florida panther may now have that dubious honor). Phantom is a lively black-footed ferret, a hairless infant when readers first meet her and a mother nursing her own kits a year later when they leave her. Bash's muted watercolors give a true feel for the prairie habitat through the seasons and supplement the textual information about these animals. This is a fine start for young nature lovers, and though not many children will have seen a black-footed ferret, the domestic ferret's popularity as a pet will make this animal a familiar subject. Those who want pet information can turn to Lilo Hess's Time for Ferrets (Atheneum, 1987; o.p.).?Susan Oliver, Tampa-Hillsborough Public Library System, FL
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Ages 4^-7. London recounts the adventures of a litter of black-footed ferrets (in particular, the liveliest, Phantom) through the seasons of a year as they grow and mature. Born in an abandoned prairie-dog home on the high prairie, they explore, learn to hunt, and are stalked by a coyote. Finally, Phantom sets off alone to find her own dog town where she mates and bears a litter in the spring. Although the story is fictionalized, London's vivid text and Bash's vibrant artwork convey much information about the life cycle and habits of this rarest of North American mammals. They also emphasize the interrelationships among other species in the high -prairie ecosystem. This makes a fine introduction for primary science units; slightly older readers will also enjoy Barbara Dana's Zucchini Out West (1997), which deals with one boy's search to discover if his own beloved pet ferret is one of the rare black-footed kind. Kay Weisman

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Sierra Club Books for Children; 1st edition (April 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0871563878
• ISBN-13: 978-0871563873
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 8.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #798,162 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jonathan London is a poet and the author of a number of picture books including the Froggy Series. He lives with his wife and two sons in Graton, California. Frank Remkiewicz has illustrated posters, greeting cards, the Animal Crackers box and numerous books for children. He lives on the Gulf Coast of Florida with his wife and three daughters.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great book for young kids, wonderful artwork, August 25, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Phantom of the Prairie: Year of the Black-Footed Ferret (Hardcover)

Nice book for children. I liked the artwork, very well done. A word of caution to domestic ferret fanciers: this book is from the Sierra Club, who has taken a political position against ferrets in California.