"I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."
The photography alone in this book alone made it worth picking up. It was gorgeous, and better quality than I'm use to seeing in children's book. The shots were really moving, but also appropriate to the subject matter and text on the page.
As far as the text I think it was really well balanced between the Black Mambas as a group, the work they do, the area they do the work in, etc. It was a well researched and well compossed children's book. Very high quality and an excellent resource.
It's also so well done I think it would also be enjoyable as a pleasure read and not just for a child look for resources for a paper.

Oh, this is so cool. "The Black Mambas" tells the story of an all-woman anti-poaching unit in South Africa. Told from the perspective of the women, readers are taken through their daily work and the importance of protecting the animals in the reserve.

I recently went on a tour in a tiger reserve in India, and our naturalist was one of only three woman naturalists in the reserve (3 women and 31 men). The naturalists were are from the local community, and their training was really just about how to present their knowledge—because they'd grown up in villages in the area and already knew how to track animals and what to look for. (I'm not sure whether there was an anti-poaching element—my partner was translating, and the naturalist was definitely most comfortable with animal questions, so there was a limit to how much I could ask.) And so of course I'm reminded of that in reading this book: of women stepping up to roles traditionally denied to them and doing fascinating and important work.

Most of the pictures in "The Black Mambas" are photographs, with the occasional fun activity for kids—guessing animal footprints, thinking through what route to take through the park under the given circumstances, etc. It's a really compassionate book, both celebrating the women doing this work (and the animals they're protecting) and noting that many poachers are just trying to feed their families and don't understand the broader implications of their actions.

I hope one (or more!) of these women eventually writes a full-length memoir, because the work they're doing is so interesting...but in the meantime, this makes for a great way to get kids curious about and interested in conservation work.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

This is much more than a children's book, photographic essay, or environmental conservation work. It is an excellent teaching tool for people of all ages and continents.
Since 2013 women park rangers from different tribes and languages have chosen to train and serve as Park Rangers to protect and conserve the wild animals in South African reserves hunted by poachers and sold to smugglers.
Well suited for reading WITH someone any age from 4 and up, including ESL, and great for gifting to everyone, but ESPECIALLY to a school or your local public library!
A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Black Mamba AntiPoaching Unit.
I requested and received a temporary uncorrected eGalley on Netgalley Reader from Lerner Publishing Group | Millbrook Press ™ via NetGalley. Avail Apr 1, 2025
#TheBlackMambas by @kellycrull @millbrookpress @lernerbooks
@blackmamba_antipoaching_unit_ #photographic #poachers #SouthAfrica @TransfrontierAfrica
@hesc_endangeredspeciescentre olifants wet nature reserve @Timbavati_foundation #OlifantsWestNatureReserve #survivaltraining #LoveWildlife #Smugglingtrade
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What badass, inspiring women!

Crull takes us into the world of the Black Mambas, an all-woman anti-poaching team at the Olifants West Nature Reserve in South Africa. The reader is taken through their typical day, as they set out to patrol the reserve, check for poacher activity (and eventually catch them!), and bond with the variety of animals. Chock-full of engaging animal facts and equally awesome facts and pictures showing the Black Mambas and their crucial work, this book is sure to inform and inspire.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This book covers an empowering, female-led topic, showing the power of woman and girls. Its a story not many have heard of and readers would benefit from the story of strong women. The photographs are beautiful as well.

My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My Overall Thoughts/Impressions: I really enjoyed the photography in this one. The author did a great job making this a fun, adventurous book for little children who want to learn more about the all-woman anti-poaching unit. It was a fun, enjoyable read. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Black Mambas: The World's First All-Woman Anti-Poaching Unit tells the story of a group of women who work tirelessly protecting animals in their homeland. The threat of poaching decimates local animal populations and these women head into danger, sometimes against the wishes of their families, to catch poachers and find the hidden and deadly traps they leave behind. This hopeful environmental story gives the reader a glimpse through colorful pictures of the struggles to save our natural resources.

Obviously a book meant for Kids, but easily could have had more detail regarding what the the Black Mambas do verse being a mere outline. At least he lists other sources, to look up, then read more about the group and still a decent read for the right age group.

Super informative book about a women's group in Africa that protects animals and the environment from poachers. Great color photographs.

A quick read, celebrating the Black Mambas all-female, anti-poaching unit in South Africa. This is targeted at a young audience, featuring minimal and basic text. The quality of the abundant photos is quite good. I see this book in school and public libraries where it would be a nice reference book or simply a page flipper for upper elementary and middle school students.

The author spent five years observing the Black Mambas and I suspect she could also write a more sophisticated and quite interesting book detailing the formation of the unit, the work, and the operational and cultural challenges faced by the Black Mambas, for a mature audience. I would read that book.