Saving the Ghost of the Mountain: An Expedition Among Snow Leopards in Mongolia (Scientists in the Field Series) [Hardcover]

Sy Montgomery (Author), Nic Bishop (Photographer)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up | Series: Scientists in the Field Series

People call it “The Ghost of the Mountain,” for those who live among snow leopards almost never see one. Beautiful spotted coats conceal these elusive cats in their rocky, high-altitude habitat—a place where temperatures are often cold enough to freeze human tears. A thick, long tail for balance helps snow leopards spring at their prey from great distances—prey that is often three times its own size. Slinking along the Mongolian mountain ridges, the snow leopards are invisible—and almost impossible to study.
But that doesn’t deter scientist Tom McCarthy, Conservation Director of the Seattle-based Snow Leopard Trust, or his many colleagues from dedicating their lives’ work to the study and protection of this seldom-seen creature. And it doesn’t stop Sy Montgomery and Nic Bishop from packing their bags in order to join Tom on a trek to Mongolia, where they hope to learn more about this magical cat, a cat who doesn’t give up its secrets easily.
It will take endurance and persistence to climb the dusty mountain trails, hope of a snow leopard sighting rising and falling with each new summit. It will take practice and experience to lay humane leghold snares, collect scat samples, and set up motion-triggered cameras. It will take patience, focus—and yes, love—to dedicate a lifetime learning more about this little-understood creature. But that’s the only way the Snow Leopard Trust can protect their charges, before the snow leopard truly becomes nothing but a ghost of the mountain.
With a dazzling, as-it-happens narrative and spectacular photographs, Sy Montgomery and Nic Bishop bring Mongolia up close for readers everywhere.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. Grade 4–8—Reading this book is an extraordinary experience. It has an elegant layout featuring ornamental lettering, watermarks, and gorgeous photos; were it not for the delightfully exuberant text, it would be a stately coffee table book. But kids will giggle about the central role of scat or, as Montgomery often writes, "poo," in the research of snow leopards' habits. Children will be swept up in the buoyant account of the journey through Mongolia led by Tom McCarthy, conservation director of the Snow Leopard Trust, in search of the elusive cat known as the "ghost of the mountain." He has devoted much of his life to studying these animals and persuading their human neighbors of the importance of their survival. Montgomery's enthusiasm translates well to the page and will have readers cheering for the entourage as they attempt to spot a snow leopard. This slender book abounds with information, including stories of McCarthy's rare, powerful past encounters with the cat, as well as zoological and cultural sidebars. Bishop's trademark stunning photography fills out the book with breathtaking views of the extreme environs of Central Asia and warm portraits of the charming people who live there. Author's and photographer's notes aren't typically as engaging as the main text, but the reflections of Montgomery and Bishop on their experiences with McCarthy's crew are eloquent, integral parts of the book. A great way to learn about a spectacular animal and its habitat.—Alyson Low, Fayetteville Public Library, AR END

About the Author

Nic Bishop, who holds a doctorate in the biological sciences, is the photographer of many acclaimed books for children. He lives in Kalamazoo, Michigan.Visit his website at: www.nicbishop.com

 

Nic Bishop and author Sy Montgomery won the Sibert Medal in 2011 for their collaborative work on Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World's Strangest Parrot, another Scientist in the Field title.  

Sy Montgomery is an author, naturalist, newspaper columnist, scriptwriter, and radio commentator who writes award-winning books for children as well as adults. She lives in Hancock, New Hampshire. Visit her website at www.authorwire.com 

 

Sy Montgomery and photographer Nic Bishop won the Sibert Medal in 2011 for their collaborative work on Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World's Strangest Parrot, another Scientist in the Field title.  

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 80 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children; First Edition edition (August 17, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618916458
• ISBN-13: 978-0618916450
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 11.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #622,064 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #79 in Books > Children's Books > Arts, Crafts & Music > Photography
  • #81 in Books > Children's Books > History > Asia

More About the Author

"Part Emily Dickinson, part Indiana Jones," as the Boston Globe has called her, Sy Montgomery has been chased by an angry silverback gorilla in Zaire and swum with piranhas and pink dolphins in the Amazon. To research her books, films and articles, she has worked in a pit swarming with 18,000 snakes in Canada and been hunted by a tiger in India. She has hiked the Altai Mountains of Mongolia's Gobi desert in search of snow leopards and penetrated the cloud forests of Papua New Guinea to radio collar tree kangaroos. No place is too far to go to bring animals' true stories to adults and children around the world.

Th author of the national bestseller, The Good Good Pig, as well as 15 other celebrated nonfiction books, Montgomery writes for print as well as broadcast in an effort to reach as wide an audience as possible at what she considers a critical turning point in human history. "We are on the cusp of either destroying this sweet, green Earth or revolutionizing the way we understand the rest of animate creation," she says. "It's an important time to be writing about the connections we share with our fellow creatures. It's a great time to be alive."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An outstanding and highly recommended book, September 17, 2009

By 

Lita Judge (Peterborough, NH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Saving the Ghost of the Mountain: An Expedition Among Snow Leopards in Mongolia (Scientists in the Field Series) (Hardcover)

Sy Montgomery and Nic Bishop have produced a beautiful book about an expedition with scientists who study and protect snow leopards in Mongolia. Nic Bishop's photographs take us along on the expedition. They capture the generous nature of the people and Mongolia's vast sense of scale -- a scale that makes you realize that there are very few snow leopards out there. Sy Montgomery's text drives the story. It brings out the excitement, the suspense, the frustrations, the challenges, and the perseverance of the scientists. Much of scientific research is like chasing a ghost -- elusive. This is well reflected in this outstanding and highly recommended book.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An On the Spot Book, January 12, 2011

By 

Spudman (Pasadena, MD United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Saving the Ghost of the Mountain: An Expedition Among Snow Leopards in Mongolia (Scientists in the Field Series) (Hardcover)

What did the hunter do when he saw a leopard?
He shot him on the spot.

It's an old joke, not that good, and not applicable when talking about the snow leopard, an animal about whom our knowledge is sketchy. This collaborative effort by Sy Montgomery and Nic Bishop takes them to remote reaches of Mongolia, the Gobi Desert and the barren mountain habitat of snow leopard and ibex.

The expedition of a few hardy souls unfortunately experiences few snow leopard sightings, mostly near misses, pings of tracking devices, and scat, lots and lots of scat. It's all part of a group effort to preserve the numbers of snow leopards that still exist, monitor their numbers, and to convince Mongolians of the importance of the snow leopard's survival.

For the middle school reader this is a book to fascinate, to motivate, to inspire. A motivated reader will eagerly soak up the content of this richly endowed book. The reluctant reader may be motivated by the breathtaking photos and the incredible descriptions of a remote and exotic land. Reading about and seeing photos of a ger (a Mongolian dwelling) being constructed is worth the price of admission alone.

There's much to be learned from this book, so many topics explored: nature, environment, biology,zoology, geography, history, sociology, and on and on.

As an adult reader I was left with an appetite for more, as if I'd just eaten a Lean Cuisine frozen meal. Tasty but not quite enough. A younger reader should find Saving the Ghost of the Mountain very satisfying and thoroughly enjoyable.