Extreme Scientists: Exploring Nature's Mysteries from Perilous Places (Scientists in the Field Series) - Hardcover

Donna M. Jackson is an award-winning author of nonfiction books for children and holds a master's degree in journalism from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Her works include the critically acclaimed Elephant Scientists, Bone Detectives, Bug Scientists, and Wildlife Detectives--all honored by the NSTA/CBC's Outstanding Science Trade Book for Children award; ER Vets, an Orbis Pictus and ASPCA Henry Bergh honor book; and Extreme Scientists, named a Smithsonian Notable Book for Children, 2009.

The Elephant Scientist, which follows the work of Caitlin O'Connell, a researcher who studies African elephants at Etosha National Park in Namibia, has also received a 2012 Robert F. Sibert Informational Honor from the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) and a Boston Globe-Horn Book Nonfiction Honor.

Grade 4-8–Three scientists whose research entails physical danger are featured here: one flies into hurricanes; another explores caves; and the third climbs the world's tallest trees. Through interviews, the author explores their work and its physical and psychological challenges. Although each section mentions that researchers can die from accidents in the field, the benefits and joys of each area of work are emphasized. Large color photos show the people (all Caucasian), their equipment, and the beauty of the extreme nature they explore. The section on cave explorer Hazel Barton has the most human interest and even shows a tattoo on her arm that depicts a partial map of South Dakota's Wind Cave. References to the subjects' childhood interests in science suggest that it's never too early to begin exploring. This exemplary title is just the thing for those who think that all scientists are sedentary.–Ellen Heath, Easton Area Public Library, Easton, PA
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