Description
By cutting trees and building dams, beavers shape landscapes and provide valuable wetland homes for many plants and animals.
These radical rodents were once almost hunted to extinction for their prized fur, but today we are building a new relationship with them, and our appreciation of the benefits they offer as habitat creators and water stewards is growing. Packed with facts and personal stories, this book looks at the beaver’s biology and behavior and illuminates its vital role as a keystone species. The beaver’s comeback is one of North America’s greatest conservation success stories and Beavers: Radical Rodents and Ecosystem Engineers introduces readers to the conservationists, scientists and young people who are working to build a better future for our furry friends.
The epub edition of this title is fully accessible.
Author Bio
Frances Backhouse is an award-winning environmental journalist and author who found her way to writing through science. As a kid, she loved exploring nature. She climbed trees, went for long walks with her dog in the river valley near her home, raised monarch butterflies from caterpillars and made plaster casts of animal tracks. Adulthood brought new adventures as she earned a bachelor of ccience degree in zoology and went on to work as a park naturalist and a biologist. Frances has written four books in the Orca Wild series and six books for adults. She lives in Victoria, British Columbia, and loves spending time outdoors wherever she is.
Prizes
- City of Victoria Children's Book PrizeShort-listed 2022
- Hackmatack Children’s Choice Book AwardShort-listed 2023
- Young Readers' Choice Book Awards of British Columbia (YRCABC) Red Cedar Book AwardsNominated 2022
- BC Books for SchoolsCommended 2021
Review Quotes
“Frances Backhouse, a naturalist and environmental journalist, provides extensive information about beavers’ origins and habitats, unique physical and behavioural features, dam building, and importance to ecosystems.”
— BC Books for SchoolsBiographical note
Frances Backhouse studied biology in university and worked as a park naturalist and as a biologist before becoming an environmental journalist and author. Frances loves exploring the natural world both close to home and far away, especially when those explorations involve tent camping. If there’s a beaver habitat nearby, it’s even better.
