Bison Belong (How Bison Are Rewilding the Great Plains)

A fascinating, informative and accessible look at the rise, fall and rise again of the American bison in the Great Plains – and how the return of the bison is restoring the Great Plains ecosystems.

Tens of millions of American bison once roamed the Great Plains. By the late 1800s, there were fewer than one thousand left. The bison had thrived in ecosystems that were nurtured by Indigenous people, who relied on them for food, shelter and clothing. But the systems were disrupted when European settlers moved in and began farming and hunting, and the bison population collapsed. This is the bison’s incredible story, including their role in maintaining the Great Plains ecosystems, how humans first happily coexisted with them and then began destroying their habitats, and how recent conservation efforts brought them back from near extinction.

Deidre Havrelock takes a unique approach in her engaging and in-depth text that brings together science, history and culture. The book covers basic facts about bison, a crucial keystone species of the Great Plains. It explains the interconnections among all the animal and plant life in the region that allowed the bison to flourish. And it explores the effects of humans on their destiny, as their population rose, fell, and is now rising again. The stunning artwork by bestselling illustrator Kim Smith showcases the magnificence of these creatures as well as the beauty of the Great Plains, one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world. This essential informational picture book contains curriculum links to ecosystems, biodiversity, climate change and conservation. It has sidebars, maps and infographics throughout, as well as a glossary, resources and an index. This is the third book in the award-winning and bestselling Ecosystem Guardians series.