Saving The Ghost Of The Mountain An Expedition Among Snow Leopards In Mongolia Text by Sy Montgomery Phographs by Nic Bishop

1.  Bibliography
Montgomery, Sy.  2009.  SAVING THE GHOST OF THE MOUNTAIN:  AN EXPEDITION AMONG SNOW LEOPARDS IN MONGOLIA.  Ills by Nic Bishop.  New York:  Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.  ISBN 9780618916450

2.  Plot Summary
Snow leopards are beautiful creatures that live in the shadows and are not easily seen.  Tom McCarthy has made it his life work to track and protect this animal.  Sy Montgomery and Nic Bishop embark on this adventure with Tom to bring this story to life from the cold weather of Mongolia.   They will climb the freezing ridges of the Mongolia mountains and share facts about the leopards, the history of Mongolia, the culture, and other interesting facts about their journey. 

3.  Critical Analysis
Before the adventure starts a map is shared with the reader to map out the journey and the habitat of the animals of Mongolia.  Each chapter starts with the title of its contents and a big picture of the adventure and a small cation underneath.  Every chapter is filled with fun facts and beautiful pictures.  One interesting fact within the pages of the books is, "The snow leopard is endangered, like the panda and the tiger."  Most of the pictures within the pages were taken by Nic Bishop on the journey to find the snow leopard.  The text of the book is written by Sy Montgomery which is first hand from the knowledge learned on the adventure and taught by Tom McCarthy who specializes in snow leopards.  At the end of the book is a paragraph of how to learn more about snow leopards and an index to find specific information fast and easy.  This is a beautiful book full of information and breath taking pictures of Mongolia and the snow leopard.

4.  Review Excerpts
Starred Review in School Library Jounranl:  "Children will be swept up in the buoyant account of the journey through Mongolia led by Tom McCarthy, conservation director of the Snow Leopard Trust, in search of the elusive cat known as the "ghost of the mountain."

5.  Connections
Have the children visit the suggested sites in the back of the book for more information.  The URLs are:  wwwiauthorwire.com and www.nicbishp.com.    They can explore more photos of Mongolia and read the journal of the author from the trek to find the snow leopard.
More books about snow leopards:
Hatkoff, Craig.  LEO THE SNOW LEOPARD.  ISBN 9780545229272
Johnston, Marianne.  SNOW LEOPARDS AND THEIR BABIES (ZOO LIFE BOOKS).  ISBN 9780823953172.
Shores, Ericka L.  SNOW LEOPARDS.  ISBN 9781429644839