CCBC booklist are compiled from books we have recommended in various editions of CCBC Choices. Most of these booklists are updated annually. You can also select books from one or more booklists to create a custom list, which can also include additional books from the CCBC-Recommended Book Search.
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The Black Mambas: The World's First All-Woman Anti-Poaching Unit
CCBC Review:
Fantastic photographs and engaging graphics bring the encouraging true story of the Black Mambas to life. A gallery of headshots on the endpapers introduces readers to the titular team with the directive, “Meet the rangers. Can you find all of us in the book?” Twenty smiling women in camouflage uniforms comprise the Black Mambas, the first female park rangers in South Africa and the first women-led anti-poaching unit in the world. Most of the rangers profiled grew up in the villages surrounding the Olifants West Nature Reserve yet had never seen the animals it protected. Ranger positions offered women the opportunity to support their families, though there wasn’t always approval for women to do what was considered a dangerous job. Rangers patrol for poachers, usually men from villages hoping to make money by selling animal parts or meat. The female rangers trained together and forged a sisterhood on the job. Clear text and photos detail ranger tasks and tools, such as patrolling fencelines, using walkie talkies, and searching the bush for snares, without shying away from the dangers of working with wildlife and the brutalities of poaching. Sidebars and quotes enhance the main narrative and offer insights from individual rangers, as well as quick facts (for example, black mambas have black mouths, but they’re not black snakes). Pride in the work they do to protect animals radiates from this absorbing informational text. ©2026 Cooperative Children’s Book Center
CCBC Age Recommendation: 7-11
Age Range:
PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7)
Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13)
Format:
Picture book
Subjects:
African Peoples
Girls and Women
Work and Labor
Diversity subject:
Black/African
On CCBC Booklist:
Global Reading: Selected Books for Children and Teens Set in Other Countries
Publisher:
Millbrook
Publish Year: 2025
Pages: 40
ISBN: 9798765627259
CCBC Location: Non-Fiction, 639 Crull
Can’t find what you’re looking for? Our Recommended Book Search includes access to CCBC-recommended titles based on subject headings created by our staff.
Please send questions or comments about CCBC booklists to ccbcinfo@education.wisc.edu.