Snow Leopards... Ghosts of the Mountain

This one got a big "Ahhh..." and a "Dad, will you buy that one for me?" from my youngest daughter.  She's loved snow leopards almost as much as polar bears since first grade (her first grade teacher, Jo Franklin, did an amazing job of getting her hooked on great nonfiction).  
     Saving the Ghost of the Mountain: An Expedition Among Snow Leopards in Mongolia is a beautiful book by Sy Montgomery and the photographs by Nic Bishop are breathtaking.  The photography is amazing!
     Snow leopards are difficult to study, they blend so well into the mountains in Mongolia.  Scientist Tom McCarthy has dedicated his career (and life) to studying these mysterious creatures.  Both Sy Montgomery and Nic Bishop accompanied Tom McCarthy on a trip to study these elusive and dwindling animals.  The result is this book.
     If, like my daughter, you're up for a good read about beautiful and cunning snow leopards, this is the perfect book.  Snow Leopards can pounce on prey with amazing accuracy (and their prey can be three times as big).  And, the endurance and stamina it takes to study animals in on of the coldest places on earth is no easy task.  This is an amazing story.  One that could I could easily see a group of children gathered around reading... and being particularly amazed!

     Since she asked, I may have to add this one to our at-home collection... what dad could say no?  And, it's the closest thing to a trip to Mongolia that many of us will ever take.