Thanks to NetGalley and Doubleday for the ARC.

Katherine Rundell really has a way with words. While this is at its core, a factbook about animals that are at risk of going extinct in our near future, the way she writes about it is very beautiful. It's so full of wonder and appreciation for the natural world. Despite the state of the world, it remains hopeful yet realistic that we can turn this around if we kick our asses into gear.

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Check out this review of Vanishing Treasures on Fable. https://fable.co/review/21074682-8b56-49c1-a473-4855a79cdc23/share

A marvelous, melancholy, celebratory book from an internationally bestselling author. Rundell writes brief, moving essays about nearly two dozen imperiled species (or groups of species), with each chapter digging deep into literature (historic, cultural, and scientific) to present a portrait of why these animals are worth saving. She only has personal experience with a couple of these species, but she’s met a pangolin, which is more than most of us can say.

A great book that educates you on the vanishing creatures of the world. Something to read, since some of these may not be seen in the coming years.

I had originally passed on this book, expecting any nonfic about endangered animals to be leaning HARD on the Sarah McLachlan of it all, but I kept seeing this pop up on blogs and lists and I caved.

And I'm so glad I did.

Blurbed by both Bill Bryson AND Maggie O'Farrell (!!!), this far-too-tiny collection of essays was an absolute delight. Despite its length it took double the time to read, I was stopping every other sentence to read aloud a fact or text the group the hot pangolin goss. I could have easily read another 200 pages.

A book of "fun facts" sure to delight any animal lover! A collection of perfectly sized vignettes on a variety of creatures!

I love learning about all sorts of animals especially the unique or rarer ones. Rundell does a great job at introducing us to many creatures and giving an overview of their history and personalities. I only wish the book would have been longer to get more depth and information about each animal.

This was beautiful and so sad! I was completely hooked the moment I started it but I kept forcing myself to have mental health breaks. What a lovely book. I will likely buy a copy.

Incredible book. Full review and interview forth coming in the Shelf Awareness newsletter, where it was assigned to me to cover.

Hard to say if right now is the best or the worst time to read this book. It might trigger feelings of despair, or it might come as a welcome respite from other thoughts (ahem, politics). Best-case scenario, it will provide just the push we all need into action. In any case, it covers an important topic that we should all be able to agree on.

To be perfectly frank, the book annoyed me at first. Here was yet another well-informed individual presenting evidence for an argument that I already agreed with and urging me to do something about an issue that I already feel largely powerless to change. But I kept reading, and I’m glad I did.

As a kid, I didn’t seek out animal trivia in books or elsewhere. I loved panda bears and dogs, and had a lot of respect for all other critters, large and small. But I didn’t stop and think about them very often. And I don’t have a brain that retains facts or statistics.

But this book grew on me for its casual, informal approach, the occasional personal anecdote, and the way Rundell looks at the bigger picture surrounding endangered animals. Like, of course the problem is not going to stop until the people who benefit most from their demise have access to an alternative way of earning money. And did you know about the despicable practice of extinction speculation?

I don’t know how to solve any of these problems, personally. But Rundell recently announced that she will donate 100% of her royalties from this book to non-profit organizations working to protect the environment. That means, just by buying this book, you could contribute to the fight against biodiversity decline.

I don’t know how long I will remember all the cool things I learned in this book about swifts that never fully sleep or seahorses that hitch rides across the ocean, to name a few. I just hope that we as humans never wake up and find that we have fully forgotten these animals because they don’t exist anymore. We need them around and, more importantly, the planet needs them!

This book causes you to think about our planet on a deeper level!
The author does a wonderful job of educating the readers regarding the endangered species in the various chapters

I am going to buy a print copy for my youngest child who is completing their degree in biology/ environmental science! .

This book is filled with fascinating facts about all sorts of animals from around the world. Sadly, they’re all endangered, and some are close to extinction. Ranging from the American wood frog to the lemur to the seahorse, the essays presented here are informative, eye-opening and accompanied by beautiful illustrations. With just the right touch of occasional humor, the book tries to make us aware of these animals and how lucky we are to share this planet with them.

As someone who can never learn enough about animals, I absolutely loved this book. This felt like watching the Planet Earth Series in book form with a witty narrator. I learned so much about each of the animals featured and underlined so much. But I think the best and most important part of this whole book was how it talked about all the reasons why each of these animals are endangered and what we can do about it.

I absolutely adore the idea of this book; short chapters exploring some unique and fascinating animals on the brink of extinction.
I just didn’t love the execution of it.
To be specific, I found some factual errors that I think could have been easily corrected if proper research was conducted. It was disappointing and threw the chapters where I had less knowledge into doubt.
I plan to hold off on posting this book anywhere outside of Goodreads until I’ve checked if the errors have been corrected in a finished book.
Thank you so much for the opportunity to read and review this one early!

From Cara Reilly, editor at Doubleday, to readers: 'The greatest lie we humans tell ourselves is that the world is at our disposal, that it's ours for the taking.' As a result, in the past 50 years we have lost more than half of all wild things. As Katherine Rundell says, we are Noah's Ark in reverse. Her essays on 23 endangered animals are love letters to the magnificence and diversity of the natural world as well as a call to action. I highly recommend reading as well as giving as a gift this holiday season.

Many thanks to the author and publisher for providing me with an arc of this book via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Vanishing Treasures.

I don't read nonfiction much but when I do, its only because the topic has piqued my interest.

This is a great book! The author takes us on a tour of the most incredible animals currently facing extinction.

I knew a few facts about some of the animals but I learned so much! Wow! My mind is BLOWN!

The author's writing style is warm, empathetic, and humorous, never preachy or snarky.

I'm not sure if there were more illustrations, I only saw the one that began each chapter, but it's possible others didn't come through since I read this on a Kindle.

My only caveat is I wished the book was longer.

The author's plea is clear; we need to protect our planet and our world or these amazing creatures and their unique, almost otherworldly talents will disappear forever. And our lives will suffer with such devastating loss.

Really interesting information about animals that are vanishing from the planet. It did make me pretty sad though.

It’s estimated that there are around 7.8 millions animal species on the planet, many of which we know little about. Unfortunately, some may vanish before we can learn much more – which is a pity, because the variety of life on this planet is far more wondrous and strange than anything our imaginations could conjure up.

This is a quiet and contemplative peek at the natural world in easy bite-sized installments. Each essay discusses an animal species which threatened in one way or another, covering a range of animals from those as seemingly ordinary as the hare to those as unusual and mysterious as the narwhal. Rundell’s writing is bright and playful but also entirely filled with awe – each chapter thrums with wonder.

I’ve always been an animal lover. Some of it is the overfamiliar cuddly fondness one can safely have only toward domestic animals (and I mean specifically my dog), but just a general admiration and interest in all our fellow denizens here on Planet Earth, all going about their business with little interference from us busybody humans – or so I’d thought when I was young.

It’s pretty obvious now that we cannot help but leave an outsized imprint on the natural world, for better or for worse. It’s still good to be reminded every so often of it. And I looked around with fresh eyes at all the wild creatures I see around me every day, and marveled anew.

such a charming little book for an animal lover! each chapter focuses on a different endangered animal, along with the author’s own anecdotes. I loved the format and honestly I wish that all of the essays were longer. we need a part two!

A cacophony of unusual animals that have almost been erased from the planet. Some you know (and love) but plenty will be new to you. It is a celebration of the wonders of nature as well as a scorecard on the ways that humans are screwing it up. Told in a conversation style that is entertaining and educational, this is the type of book you can easily digest one critter at a time and then rush to share your knowledge at the staff meeting, dinner table or coffee shop line. For animal lovers, concerned humans and fans of Mary Roach and Bill Bryson. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

A wonderfully descriptive heart-felt look at these beautiful animals who face extinction. It's a plea to be aware of nature's treasures and the fragility of life itself.