Lonesome George, the Giant Tortoise
By Francine Jacobs; Jean Cassels (Illustrator)
(Walker Books for Young Readers, Hardcover, 9780802788641, 32pp.)
Publication Date: September 2003
Other Editions of This Title: Library Binding
 |     |
The remarkable true story of a one-of-a-kind survivor.
One lone tortoise lived a simple life on Pinta Island in the Galápagos Islands of the Pacific Ocean. Then visiting fishermen introduced goats to the unique island, which completely disrupted the ecosystem.
One lone tortoise stubbornly clung to life, even after his fellow tortoises disappeared slowly. Then, years after it was believed that all Pinta Island tortoises were extinct, scientists discovered one lone tortoise among the rocky hills of the now barren land.
The scientists named this miraculous survivor “Lonesome George” and brought him to the Darwin Research Station, where they hoped to find him a mate. Even though George has remained a steadfast bachelor while waiting for a Pinta Island mate, he is an inspiration for survival as well as a living reminder of the terrible price of extinction.
Francine Jacobs is the author of 24 books for children, including the Reading Rainbow Feature Selection Sam the Sea Cow, illustrated by Laura Kelly and Lonesome George the Giant Tortoise, illustrated by Jean Cassels. The story of Lonesome George appealed to her because it describes the discovery and rescue of a truly unique creature. She lives with her husband, Jerome Jacobs, in Pleasantville, New York.
Jean Cassels has illustrated more than fifty natural history books for children, but she also has a talent for more whimsical images of birds and beasts and bugs wearing all the latest fashions, as seen in The Mysterious Collection of Dr. David Harleyson. The mother of two grown sons, she lives with her husband in New Orleans, Louisiana.
 |
1Q84 Haruki Murakami Knopf |
 |
The Marriage Plot Jeffrey Eugenides Farrar, Straus, and Giroux |
 |
The Sense of an Ending Julian Barnes Knopf |
 |
Death Comes to Pemberley PD James Knopf |
