Tracking the Vanishing Frogs: An Ecological Mystery

This reads like a novel, but the subject is non-fiction: the disappearance of frogs from our planet, what it means, and what we must do about it. Recommended to all adults and thinking teen-agers who are interested in the planet.

This is a facinating and gripping tale about an animal that is simple, slimey, and generally not well thought of by humans. Our desensitivity to the legitimate role in our world of reptiles and amphibians (from the bible to the Sound of Music) has left them without an advocate when they need it most. Kathryn Phillips explains why their loss is anything but insignificant.In the old days, coal miners would take a canary into the mines with them and listen to it sing all day. If the canary stopped singing and fell over dead, the miners didn't stop to wonder why or grieve its passing, they got the heck out of the mine as fast as they could. That was the very reason they took the canary in with them. Frogs are the canaries on this earth. But here on earth, we don't have the easy option of just getting the heck out of here as fast as we can. Kathryn Phillips tells you why with the power of a fiction writer but does it as only a professional journalist could with clarity, accuracy and completeness.

This is a wonderful book which has covers the current issue of declining amphibian populations well in regards to the pet trade, habitat loss and fragmentation, and exotic species as well as specific species such as the golden toad and california's red-legged frog. Its an adventure as well as a source of information. The only reservation I had was that it didn't cover chemicals (pesticides) or frog deformities as issues towards species loss.

Anyone interested in frogs MUST read this book. It is a thrilling adventure through the days and nights of frog behavior and environmental management that makes you realize just how fragile some aspects of our planet are. This book reads like a novel; you start caring for these small creatures like they were your friends. Hard to put down. Easy to enjoy.