Fur, Fins, and Feathers
Abraham Dee Bartlett and the Invention of the Modern Zoo
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- $22.99
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- $22.99
Publisher Description
Abraham Dee Bartlett knew from a young age that he wanted to spend his life working with animals. But in Victorian London, there weren’t many jobs that provided an opportunity to do that. Still, Abraham spent years gaining knowledge and pursuing his dream until he eventually became superintendent in the London Zoo. Driven by his compassion for the animals, Abraham dramatically improved the conditions of the zoo to ensure that the animals could be happy and healthy.
With engaging back matter and charming illustrations, Cassandre Maxwell’s book brings to life the little-known story of the man who helped to create the modern zoo.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Maxwell highlights how one man helped usher in new ideas of what zoos could be in the 19th century. Three-dimensional mixed-media collages give the pages a sense of activity and depth as Maxwell plays with and studies animals as a boy, gaining a reputation as a "walking animal encyclopedia" and eventually becoming superintendent of the London Zoo. There, he pioneered the idea of including information about the animals for visitors, as well as giving the creatures better nutrition and larger enclosures. "They... need spaces to explore, places to hide, and things to play with," Maxwell says in one of a handful of unattributed quotations. A bibliography, time line, and author's note round out a warm portrait of a man's lifelong passion for animals, a passion that he shared widely. Ages 5 9.
