Bound To Stay Bound

School Library Journal - 10/18/2024 Gr 3–8—A nonfiction account of the scientists studying how coyotes move, eat, and reproduce in urban environments. The book opens as a scientist tracks a previously collared coyote to a tree hollow to check on her. The following chapter follows the drama of caging, sedating, and processing a wild coyote, with striking photographs to accompany the description. Chapter five is particularly engaging, following researchers on their grueling search for a litter of coyote pups that they eventually find in a tree hollow; photos include scenes in which they are assessed and microchipped. Lots of interesting context is given about the history of coyotes in the urban United States and their life cycles and traits. The author sometimes uses a cheeky, editorial writing style that might go over the heads of the target audience (e.g., "Ah, the 1990s. The Soviet Union broke up, grunge music went big, and the internet appeared. Coyotes, too, had a big end-of-the-century decade"). The wildlife researchers photographed include men and women; all read as white. Back matter includes a glossary, sources, and a thorough index. VERDICT An informative and engaging photo-illustrated book on research into the lives of urban coyotes that would support ecological research.—Mallory Weber - Copyright 2024 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.

Booklist - 06/01/2024 In this large-format volume, readers follow urban wildlife researchers as they locate, tag, trace, and study some of the many coyotes living in Chicago and its suburbs since the 1990s. Stan Gehrt, an urban wildlife ecologist, was hired to do a “quick” study, as few coyotes were thought to be living in the region. That assumption was quickly proved wrong. Twenty-five years later, the Urban Coyote Research Project continues to study coyotes within the Chicago area. Carson, whose previous books for the Scientists in the Field series include Park Scientists (2014) and The Bat Scientists (2010), explains the researchers’ methods as they attempt to trace the movements of adult coyotes and remove pups from their dens to record their measurements, check their health, and implant microchips beneath the skin before placing them back in their dens. Illustrated with many clear color photos of coyotes and researchers, this attractive volume presents information about the challenges that arise when wild animals move into urban environments—an unusual but timely topic. - Copyright 2024 Booklist.