Moto and Me: My Year as a Wildcat's Foster Mom

by Suzi Eszterhas (Photographer)

Hardcover, 2017

Status

Available

Local notes

599.7 Esz

Barcode

4528

Collection

LS/GENERAL [#]

Genres

Nonfiction

Publication

Owlkids (2017), 40 pages

Description

"This is the story of Suzi and her personal rescue and rehabilitation of an orphaned serval cat named Moto. Ultimately, Moto was able to return to the wild because of Suzi's dedication to being the best foster mom she could be - and it wasn't easy! She was camping alone in the bush in Kenya, with very little contact with the outside world. Someone came to her with an orphaned serval cat because they knew she'd be willing and want to help - nobody knew what else to do. Determined to nurse the kitten back to health and help him learn, grow, and return to the wild, Suzi did everything she could think of to be the best serval mom she could be. She had a little bit of help from a couple other people who had some experience with orphaned wild animals, but for the most part, it was just her and Moto out there, figuring things out based on Suzi's experience observing animal rescues and her instincts about the animal's needs."--… (more)

Awards

Triple Crown Awards (Nominee — 2020)

Utah Beehive Book Award (Nominee — Informational Books — 2019)

Pennsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award (Nominee — 2019)

South Dakota Children's Book Awards (Nominee — 2020)

Chicago Public Library Best of the Best: Kids (Informational Books for Younger Readers — 2017)

Language

English

Original language

English

Physical description

40 p.; 7.7 inches

User reviews

LibraryThing member Carlathelibrarian

Moto, is a wildcat, a Serval, from Kenya. When he is found at approximately 2 weeks old by tourists, he is given to the author Suzi Eszterhas, a wildlife photographer. She is asked by the Rangers to foster the kitten. Her goal is to look after him, but to assist him to become independent so he can

survive in the wild. There are beautiful photographs that add to the narrative of what Suzi does to help Moto learn to be an independent adult. There is a section at the back that gives facts about servals. I had never heard of this type of cat before, so found the information fascinating. It is important that the book teaches that fostering a wild animal is not the same as having a pet. That is something that children need to learn. This book would be a great addition to a school library and could be used in different ways. The publisher generously provided me a copy of this book via netgalley.

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LibraryThing member Mishker

Suzi Eszterhas is a wildlife photographer on the Masai Mara Preserve in Kenya. Suzi is asked if she would like to foster an serval kitten that was brought in by a tourist group after a fire. Suzi readily accepts and takes on the additional role of wildlife rehabilitator to Moto, the serval. As

Moto's adopted mother, Suzi must learn how to care for Moto and teach him how to be a serval in the wild, just like Moto's real mom would have done so he can go back to the wild once more.

Moto and me is a fun and informative inside look at wildlife rehabilitation and the life of a serval. This nonfiction book is aimed at children aged 5-10. The pictures were all very cute and obviously amazing, taken by Suzi herself. They documented Moto's life with her from kittenhood to an adult cat and give readers a chance to see Moto learning how to be a Serval as well as techniques that Suzi used in Moto's rehabilitation. Along with this are great lessons about African animals, life cycles and the importance of leaving wildlife in the wild.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

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