An ALA Notable book
An Orbis Pictus Recommended title
When Heather L. Montgomery sees a rattlesnake flattened on the side of
the road, her first instinct is to pick it up and dissect it--she's
always wanted to see how a snake's fangs retract when they close their
mouths, and it's not exactly safe to poke around in a live reptile's
mouth. A wildlife researcher with a special penchant for the animals
that litter the roadways, Heather isn't satisfied with dissecting just
one snake. Her fascination with roadkill sets her off on a journey from
her own backyard and the roadways of the American South to scientists
and kids in labs and homes across the globe. From biologists who use the
corpses of Tasmanian devils to investigate cures for a contagious
cancer, to a scientist who discovered a whole new species of bird from a
single wing left behind, to a boy rebuilding animal bodies from the
bones up, to a restaurant that serves up animal remnants, Heather
discovers that death is just the beginning for these creatures.
This engaging narrative nonfiction is an eye-opening and irreverent look
at the dead and dying animals that we pass by without a second
thought--as well as a fascinating insight to the scientific research
process.