Hello, I'm a pangolin by Hayley and John Rocco

 This title is part of a new series, "Meet the wild things" which profiles different animals. The first couple titles caught my attention immediately and I purchased Hello, I'm a Quokka while requesting this title for review. I have plenty of patrons - kids and adults - who are interested in pangolins and it's not an animal you usually see in picture books.

The pangolin narrates the story, speaking directly to the reader, and explaining facts about pangolins. Rocco's lush illustrations are placed against plain colored backgrounds or simple settings and are realistic but humorous.

The pangolin compares itself to an anteater, armadillo, and artichoke (with googly eyes) and then we look directly into its face. Readers see the pangolin curled up in its burrow, slurping out ants, and a close-up of its scales (which readers are invited to count). A brown hand is shown with the pangolin to illustrate the similarity between its scales and a human's fingernails. There's also a narrative feel, as the pangolin explains its defensive strategy while looking nervously around and then curling into an impenetrable ball, much to the annoyance of a hungry lioness who arrives on the scene and is scared off with a "swish" of the pangolin's tail.

The book gets more in-depth and serious after this point, showing a map of pangolins around the globe and explaining threats to them, from a dark figure in a night scene grabbing a pangolin to a man seen from the back filling bags of scales. A white female is next shown tracking a pangolin in the wild and then teaching a group of kids with various skin colors about pangolins.

Back matter includes a lengthier description of and facts about pangolins and some web links of organizations working to protect pangolins. There is also a note about the authors and a list of acknowledgements of experts consulted.

Verdict: This is a great nonfiction read-aloud. It has the cadences of a story, but smoothly weaves in facts about pangolins. The sections on conservation may be too long for a very young audience, but can easily be skipped and the text cut shorter as needed. In addition to the titles currently available, new titles are planned to be released next year and they will be a necessary purchase for most library collections. Recommended.

ISBN: 9780593618158; Reinforced/Picture book on Baker & Taylor for $13.59

Published June 2024 by Putnam Pub; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library