Case of the Vanishing Golden Frogs – book review

In the space of just a few years, biologist Karen Lips noticed a serious decline in the population of golden frogs living in the mountain forests of Panama. She discovered massive quantities of dead frogs and was perplexed and concerned about the cause of their deaths. Sandra Markle follows Lips’ investigation into the near-extinction of these tiny frogs who are not only special to Panamanians as a national symbol, but also fill an important role in their ecosystem and food chain. Although, occasionally over-wordy with explanations (within the text) of various vocabulary words/concepts with which its intended audience may be unfamiliar, this scientific mystery and its gradual unraveling (paired with brilliant, close-up photographs of the frogs) will fascinate budding biologists and frog-lovers alike.

Reviewed by YA Librarian