I am very excited to announce that my first non fiction children’s book, Gone is Gone: Wildlife Under Threat will be released on September 24, 2019. For more information about the book, download the media release.
The book, published by Orca Book Publishers, is aimed at children aged 9 to 12 and looks at why species become endangered, how scientists are learning about endangered wildlife, what people are doing to conserve species, and ways young people can help.
Gone is Gone is one of the very first books in a new series, Orca Wild that explores the lives of creatures with whom we share the world and asks readers to consider the effects — both positive and negative — that humans have on vulnerable animal populations and habitats. Gone is Gone is the first of four books that I will be publishing with the Orca Wild Series: Sea Otters: A Survival Story (released Spring 2020), Conservation Canines (Fall 2020), and Elephants. Stay tuned for more updates.
Why Gone is Gone
The text and the photographs for Gone is Gone originate from years spent in the field as a writer and conservation photographer, observing endangered species alongside the people who work to conserve them. During my time in diverse habitats, wetlands, old-growth forests, grasslands, oceans, I was inspired by the commitment and the passion demonstrated by people around the world who have dedicated their lives to fighting the war against extinction. From watching narwhals socialize in the Canadian Arctic, encountering a Laysan albatross raising chicks in a remote Hawaiian island, or swimming near sea lions in the Galapagos Islands, the more we know about the species with whom we share the planet, the more likely we are to want to protect them. With this book I am hoping to inspire readers of all ages to take small steps towards big changes for endangered species around the world.
Wildlife conservation at home
British Columbia’s endangered wildlife has a special place in the book. BC is my backyard, and I have been very fortunate to spend time in the field with extraordinary individuals who have taken steps to conserve our local species, whether it is to recover the Oregon Spotted Frog, Canada’s most endangered amphibian in the wetlands of the Fraser Valley, to return burrowing owls to the grasslands of the Okanagan where they belong, or to protect the habitat of the mountain caribou in the northeast corner of the province.
I strongly believe that wildlife conservation starts on our doorstep. You don’t have to travel to the most remote corners of the earth to engage with wildlife. Any step you can take to protect habitat and wildlife close to home makes a difference and helps creates global impact. Act for the Wild before it is too late!
Book launch at the Museum of Vancouver and book tour: Get in touch!
Save the date for the launch of Gone is Gone on Thursday, September 26, 2019 from 6 to 8 pm at the Museum of Vancouver, with the last days of the Wild Things: The Power of Nature in Our Lives exhibition. For this event, I am proud to partner with two local conservation organizations, NatureKids BC and the Wilderness Committee.
If you are in the Vancouver area and would like to attend the launch, please register on the Eventbrite event page.
Pre-order your copy of the book today on the Orca Book website, from Amazon or your favourite bookstore.
Keep updated on my upcoming book launch and tour dates: sign up for my newsletter and follow me on Instagram for latest news and stories.
To arrange a book signing, a speaking engagement, school or library visit, please contact me. My talks supported by photography and field anecdotes will not only delight and educate students of all ages, but are also relevant to adults who want to make a difference for the natural world. Find out more about my talk topics, and contact me to discuss your event.
Connect and share a step you have taken with your family, neighbours, or friends in your backyard to help conserve wildlife and natural habitats. Spread the word and use #GoneIsGone #ActForTheWild #OrcaWild on social media, to be featured at the book launch.
Advance Praise For the book
Isabelle’s most important and lasting message is also the most resonant: if human behavior is the cause of the wildlife crisis, it can also be the solution.
— Jane Goodall, PhD, BDE, Founder, Jane Goodall Institute and United Nations Messenger of Peace
You don’t need to be a child to read this fascinating, informative and personal book about the unique and beautiful wild creatures with whom we share the earth. I, as a child no longer, have read it twice, following Isabelle as she travelled far and wide – sharing her joys, her sadness and her growing fears about the survival of so many irreplaceable species and the decimation of their wild homes. And sharing her belief in the animal as an individual. Everyone should read this book. And I mean everyone. If you have never thought or cared about the survival of wildlife — however large or small — I believe you will now. I beg you to — before it is really too late.
— Virginia McKenna, Co-Founder The Born Free Foundation
Animals won’t survive unless people care. I wish this book was available when I started my career in wildlife conservation. It’s got all the information you need to understand the dangers animals face, and how people work to fix those problems so that wild animals can survive. Such people are called conservationists. After reading this excellent book that explains what animals need and what conservationists do, you just might decide to be a conservationist yourself. I hope so. Animals need you.
— Carl Safina, author of Beyond Words; What Animals Think and Feel
A solid and appealing addition to endangered species literature.
— Booklist