Diego, the Galápagos Giant Tortoise

April 1, 2022
Grades 2-5 In the late 1600s, a pirate ship moored off Espa�ola Island in the Gal�pagos sent sailors ashore to find food. They captured giant tortoises to keep in the hold, providing fresh meat for the crew. Other ships did the same, until the tortoises' population, originally in the thousands, dropped to three in 1905. In the 1930s, one was taken to the San Diego Zoo and named Diego. In the 1960s and '70s, the 14 giant tortoises found on Espa�ola were taken to a captive breeding center on a nearby island. Diego joined them in 1977. The program brought the species back from the brink of extinction and in 2019, when the Espa�ola giant tortoise population reached 2,354, returned them to their ancestral home. With a longer text than most picture books, this volume presents information in a well-organized way and includes more facts in the back matter. The illustrations, rendered in colors reflecting the island habitat, focus mainly on the tortoises, particularly Diego, rather than the humans. A worthwhile addition to Pattison's Another Extraordinary Animal series.

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Starred review from June 1, 2022
A species comes back from the brink of extinction with the help of human intervention in this beautifully painted nonfiction picture book. Stretching from the late 1600s to the modern day, this book outlines the plight of the Espa�ola tortoise and its recovery. When pirates first visited Espa�ola Island, one of the Gal�pagos Islands, they found thousands of giant tortoises. Valued because they could be kept alive on very little food or water, the tortoises were captured as food sources for sailors on long journeys. Due to overhunting, the population dwindled to only three--and a clutch of eggs--counted by scientists in 1905. Diego hatched from those eggs and was later taken to the San Diego Zoo to live for 40 years. During that time, scientists realized the dire situation for the Espa�ola tortoises and started a breeding program. When it was discovered that Diego was an Espa�ola tortoise, he was brought to the breeding center to help repopulate the species. The program's success--as Pattison writes, "Sometimes, humans get it right"--led to thousands of tortoises, including Diego, once again inhabiting Espa�ola Island. Pattison offers this dramatic story in accessible prose, using the appropriate scientific vocabulary in an understandable context. Each two-page spread offers a substantial amount of information but never overwhelms, and Zimmerman's vibrant illustrations always illuminate the text. Pattison toggles between the greater story and Diego's more personal involvement, giving readers a central character to follow. Important ideas and numbers are set apart in a larger font, making them good places for emergent readers to chime in. Zimmerman's realistic paintings invite readers into the times and places described, animating the tortoises and their saga. Human features are less detailed than the tortoises, making it clear that the creatures are the heroes. Detailed endnotes provide more information about tortoises, stories about less successful species rescue attempts, notes on invasive species and the Gal�pagos Islands, and the names of conservation organizations readers can support. This well-crafted success story of a species' salvation will encourage budding environmentalists.

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