Tapir - a curious creature

 The 2020 CBCA slogan is:

Curious Creatures, Wild Minds

The Tapir

In a recent post I talked about the gnu. They live in Africa.  I have also talked about our Australian platypus. This time I have turned my attention to South America.  Some of the curious creatures from that continent are: sloth, macaw, guanaco, capybara and tapir. There is one other tapir - the Malaysian tapir which is found in South East Asia. The first book that I thought of for this curious creature is the book series Mango and Bambang.

Here are some facts about the Tapir:

• There are five types of tapirs: Baird’s tapir, Lowland or Brazilian tapir, Mountain or woolly tapir, the Kabomani tapir (discovered in 2013) and the Malayan tapir.
• Most tapirs live in South America, from southern Mexico to Venezuela, Brazil and Paraguay.
• The Malayan tapir is the exception; it lives in Asia — Burma, Thailand, Malaya and Sumatra.
• Tapirs look something like pigs with trunks, but they are actually related to horses and rhinoceroses
• Tapirs love the water. They’re terrific swimmers and divers. They enter water to cool off, dine on aquatic plants and avoid predators.
• The word tapir comes from the language of Brazil’s indigenous Tupi people, who called it “tapyra.”
• These days, English-speaking people seem to say it at least four different ways: 1. ta-PEER, 2. TAY-per (so that it sounds like “taper”), 3. TAY-peer and 4. TAY-pyer.
• Tapir have four toes on the front feet and three toes on the back feet.
• The tapir is a odd-toed ungulate
• Tapirs are herbivores eating grass and leaves.
• The collective noun for a group of tapirs is a candle.

Baby tapirs are “hiders” when they are young, and their stripes and spots are excellent camouflage in the dappled light of the forest.

Image Source: San Diego Zoo

Further reading:

San Diego Zoo

Zoo Borns

World Wildlife fund

National Geographic

Here some picture books which feature the tapir:

Publisher blurb: A picture paints a thousand words... Tapir and his friends all have nice new notebooks, just waiting to be filled. Giraffe decides to write a poem, Hippo writes a story and Flamingo composes a beautiful song. But poor Tapir can't think of anything to write - and the harder he tries the more upset he becomes! But everything starts to change when Tapir stops trying to write, and instead he begins to draw...  An uplifting and inspiring story about friendship and finding your feet, with the reassuring message that we are all unique and all good at something.

Publisher blurb: The jungle is a noisy place. The elephants BOOM, the rhinos BAM-BAM, the hornbills CAW-CAW and the apes HOO-HAA, but Tapir and Little Tapir don’t make a sound. They tiptoe through their days — until the morning a hungry leopard forces them to run for the lives. Leopard is just about to pounce when BANG! The sound of a hunter’s gun stops all three animals in their tracks. Now Leopard must flee — very quietly, with help from the tapirs. From that day on, Leopard moves with a very soft step as do the rest of the jungle beasts. With elegant pen-and-ink and watercolor illustrations, this original pourquoi story is a satisfying and visually arresting tale of quiet rewarded.

Publisher blurb: Gordon and Tapir by Sebastian Meschenmoser, tells the comical story of odd-couple housemates (a particular penguin and an untidy tapir) and has been short-listed for the German Children’s Book of the Year Award.

Book Depository: Little Tapir is sleeping next to his mother when he is woken by Spider and led deep inside the jungle following the beat of Spider's song. Monkeys, firebirds, snakes and insects all add their own rhythms to the music but when the beat stops and Tapir is all alone, he realises how dangerous the jungle can be. But Mother Tapir is there to save the day.

Publisher blurb: From a master storyteller comes this heartfelt tale of friendship . . . and seeing past our differences. Tapir lives in the jungle. Pig lives in the village. But when they meet at the waterhole, they discover they are the same in so many ways. They might even be brothers from a different mother!

My friend, who inspired these posts, has a wonderful collection of toys to match the books in her Preschool to Year 2 junior library. I went hunting and I found a plush toy tapir - so cute!

Image source: Cuddlekins

Mango and Bambang Tapir all at sea by Polly Faber illustrated by Clara Vulliamy

You might remember I was so excited to tell you about the first installment of Mango and Bambang at few months ago.  The second book arrived in our library last week and I rushed home to read it.

Mango and Bambang Tapir all at sea is also a collection of four short stories and it absolutely will not disappoint you but I need to say that it is quite essential to read the first installment especially because the first story - A hobby for Bambang -assumes you know all about this special tapir and his wonderful friend Mango.

Once again we are treated to some delicious little stories all with perfect energetic and joyous illustrations this time in red.  Bambang gets into a series of scrapes and Mango rescues him - except in the final story - but I will leave this for you to discover yourself.

In the second story called A Run in the Park, Mango and her friend George are sitting in a tree.  They try to encourage Bambang to join them :

"Put one back foot on the sticky out bit and heave!'
'Wrap your whole body around the trunk and shimmy!'
'Hang on to that low branch with your snout, push off and swing."

I love those words - shimmy, heave, swing.

Actually it is the incentive of sticky ginger cake that motivates Bambang and he suddenly appears in the tree beside his friends.

Mango & Bambang - The Not-a-Pig by Polly Faber illustrated by Clara Vulliamy

I am so excited to tell you about this book - Mango & Bambang The Not-a-Pig.  This little book is absolutely wonderful - a tiny gem.  I love EVERYTHING about this book.  The cover, the purple edged pages, the heroine Mango and most especially her shy friend, the tapir, Bambang.

Mango is walking in her big busy city when she sees a traffic jam.  She moves in closer to investigate the problem and sees a strange lump on the zebra crossing.  Here is a hint for you.  Tapir's have large sections of black and white fur. Mango works so hard to convince Bambang to follow her home.  She offers him banana pancakes with  syrup and cream.  Mango is kind and patient but she is also determined to help her new friend. Finally when all the city noises become unbearable and with the threat of  a digger roaring down the road, Mango bravely makes a loud speech using the police megaphone - hence the capital letters :

"THERE IS A TAPIR HERE.  HE WILL CROSS THE ROAD BUT HE IS FEELING A BIT NERVOUS.  HE HAS NEVER BEEN IN A BUSY CITY BEFORE, YOU SEE. I THINK IT WOULD BE VERY HELPFUL IF YOU COULD ALL TURN OFF YOUR ENGINES FOR A MOMENT ... AND THEN I CAN TALK TO HIM CALMLY AND WE WILL BE ON OUR WAY FOR BANANA PANCAKES VERY SHORTLY. ... THANKYOU."

This brave announcement works.  Everyone calms down and so Bambang uncurls from his little ball of fear and walks home with his new friend.  He knows he will be safe because he has always been keen on mangoes, perhaps there is no immediate threat from a tiger and there is the promise of pancakes

One special part of this story comes near the end.  In the last story it is Bambang who is able to rescue little Mango when she has to perform with her clarinet at the Big City Concert.  It would be fun to read this chapter with a little clarinet music playing in the background. You could also pick up  a copy of Herman and Rosie which has a similar final scene with a big city backdrop.  I would also pick up a copy of Tua and the Elephant which has a similar theme of animal rescue and care but for a slightly older reader.

There are four little interlinked stories in this book and with 142 pages it would be a perfect little read-a-loud for a young class or with your family.

This is the first book.  I hope the second arrives very soon.

How did I find this little book?  Once again I have to thank Bloomin' Books at Carringbah.  Kate Colley has a wonderful eye for terrific little books like this.

This is the first book by Polly Faber and she has been so lucky Walker Books asked Clara Vulliamy to be the illustrator.  Every picture on every page is a delight.

Mango and Bambang have their own web site. The video on this site is perfect.  Please take two minutes to watch.  Library Mice have an interview with Polly Faber and you can see some pages from this book.  You can read a glowing review here if I have not convinced you that this truly is a ten out of ten book!