Lost Wonders

Description

moa piopio huia laughing owl grayling meriki Hutton's rail Haast's eagle Chatham Island bellbird bush wren adzebill Chatham Islands fernbird Eyles' harrier greater short-tailed bat Hawkins' rail kawekaweau koreke Lyall's wren moho South Island snipe whekau These are just some of the lost wonders of Aotearoa. Here are their stories. *** Illustrated with line drawings by Phoebe Morris, this book tells true stories about our lost and threatened species and the people involved in their extinction and/or recovery. The tales of these fascinating creatures - birds, insects, reptiles and plants - are delivered in an entertaining and accessible style, drawing on research and first-hand accounts and delving into the social climate in New Zealand at the time when the extinctions occurred. Perfect for confident readers aged 8-12. Featured species include those that are long gone, such as New Zealand's dinosaurs; those that disappeared following the human habitation of New Zealand, including the moa, piopio, huia, laughing owl and native fish the grayling; those that were lost and found, such as the takahe, taiko, the flowering vine Tecomanthe speciosa and the weevils of Canterbury; and those at risk of extinction: among them the kakapo, Maui dolphin, kauri and whitebait.

Sarah Ell was born and raised on Auckland's North Shore in a conservation-minded family, and has always had a close relationship with nature and the outdoors. Sarah trained as a newspaper journalist before working in magazines and book publishing, and has a Bachelor of Arts in New Zealand history from Massey University and a Master of Creative Writing from the University of Auckland. She is the author of 10 books, several of them for young people, including Sirocco, the Rock Star Kakapo (2012). She still lives on the North Shore with her husband, yacht designer Rob Shaw, and their two children.