At first glance, this appears to be a book for children. I have always found though that if you make the book something that appeals to adults as well as kids, you've hit your target audience, which is well, everyone. This book will appeal to readers of all ages.
I love the way this book lays out its concepts. It is straight forward, informative, it doesn't talk down to the reader or over explain. It meets the reader at whatever level they are at and assumes that information and a good story is what the reader is looking for when they pick up a book.
The concepts explained were keystone species (a term I'd never heard before, but found fascinating), the health of the prairie and how we keep it that way, it discussed other animals and how all species depend on one another to sustain their communities, it discussed myths that are prevalent regarding the prairie dog, and I found it interesting to learn that in order to "fence" in a prairie dog community you simply grow tall grass around the community and the prairie dogs will not venture into that area or beyond because they can't see over the grass to locate predators. Ultimately, the book is about Larry Haverfield's fight to save his beloved prairie.
I showed this book to some neighborhood children and adults to get their reactions. The coloring pages at the back were a big hit, of course. Kids like books they can do a variety of things with, so reading and coloring go hand in hand. One of the older children liked the "how you can help" section and wanted to see how they could help out in their community with this project. The adults liked this feature too. Prairie Dogs are a popular item here in Hutchinson and folks want to get involved.
If you have a child or an adult that is hard to buy for, I'd recommend this book. It's a great gift for all ages. To find out more about the book or to contact the author, check out this link: http://www.mattbergles.com/
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