Moto and MeMy Year as a Wildcat’s Foster Mom
Review posted August 9, 2017.
Owlkids Books, 2017. 40 pages.
Starred Review
2017 Sonderbooks Stand-out: #6 Children's Nonfiction
This simple nonfiction book for kids was a big hit when I booktalked it to early elementary school grades.
The story is this: Author Suzi Eszterhas was living in Africa as a wildlife photographer. A baby serval was separated from his mother by some tourists who thought he was in distress during a fire. They took him to a ranger station. The baby needed a foster mother to take care of him and teach him how to live in the wild. Suzi stepped up for the job.
The story is illustrated with abundant photographs – and Moto is adorably cute! The author explains clearly how she fed and tended him. He learned on his own to hunt, practicing with the stuffed toy she gave him, Mr. Ducky. The pictures of him learning to hunt, climb trees, and puff himself up in defense (to look bigger) are also adorable.
The book isn’t long, but it’s packed with information and photos. I was fascinated by Moto’s story, and kids will be, too. And now I know much, much more about servals (African wildcats) than I ever did before.