Children's Literature: There are species that have disappeared such as the dodo and the stellar seal, but some of these were hunted to extinction and did not disappear due to natural causes. The case of the Panamanian Golden Frog is a different story. While in the end contact with humans is suspected as the cause of the disease that is killing them, they were not deliberately hunted into extinction. The researchers were puzzled—why was the symbol of Panama dying in the wild? Was it pollution? No, the frogs lived in habitats that were not impacted by pollution. The same was true for intrusion by humans or other predators. In addition, there were no significant changes in the climate. The scientists did find dead frogs and they all had chytrid fungus zoospores on their skin. It took pathologists at the National Zoo to recognize the disease that eats into the kertin that protects the frog by keeping its skin moist. Since no source of the disease could be found, disease free frogs were captured and sent to zoos and other places to be protected. The story of this scientific mystery, the researchers who went to Panama and searched for the frogs, and the recounting of their missions along with full color photographs makes for an engrossing read. Kids who have an interest in science will find this book an inspiration and the fact that there is no pat solution is a realistic example what life as a scientist can be—lots of questions and sometimes no obvious solutions. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot