Hanoi (VNA) - Readers,especially children, can now go on a journey through one of the wildest andmost biodiverse parts of the world - a range of rugged mountains bordering Laosand Vietnam, Truong Son Mountain Range.

A bilingual book, Wonders of the Annamites, waslaunched on December 3 in Hanoi by Nha Nam Culture and Communications Company.

The story follows a local father, daughter and son on a trek tovisit their grandmother in this ancient, almost mystical, mountainlandscape.

They journey along rivers and through groves of bamboo, past rockycliffs and into steamy tropical forests - and discover a wondrous world ofwildlife along the way.

Children will learn about the rare and recently discovered animalspecies exclusive to the Annamites such as the Sao La, White-Cheeked Gibbon,Crested Argus, Red-Shanked Douc and other incredible species.

The book comes out from a long-time research project by Laos-basedCamille Coudrat, director of a non-profit conservation project called ProjectAnoulak.

She has teamed up with Eric Losh, an art director and illustratorfrom New York, to offer colourful illustrations depicting twelve differenthabitats and 60 species.

“The Annamite Mountains of Laos and Vietnam (Truong Son MountainRange) are home to an abundance of rare wildlife, and now you can explore themountain range’s natural wonders from your own home,” said Coudrat.

“For a few years I had in mind a children’s book that would featurekey species on the Annamite Mountains,” said Coudrat.

“This would not only be used at the site where Project Anoulak isworking, but all across the region …and beyond. It could also be used in theWest to raise awareness of the international community about this very specialmountain range and its very special species.”

Coudrat said she first became aware of Losh’s art through theHoliday cards that he illustrated for the Saola Working Group (of which she isa member).

“They led me to discover more of his artwork, including abeautiful children’s book he did in 2013 about primates in Ugandacalled The Chorus of Kibale. It was clear that he would be a perfect fitfor our project.”

Their collaboration began via a Skype call between the US andLaos.

All the species mentioned in the book are imperiled by habitatloss and rampant poaching, Losh said.

“The situation is grim, and unfortunately, most people outside ofconservation circles don’t even know that the region exists.”

He said he hopes that with the distribution of this book, he andProject Anoulak can raise awareness of local and international communities andalso funding for the conservation of the Annamites.

“The Annamite Mountains ecosystem teems with biodiverse wildlife,but humans have also been an important part of the landscape for generations.So we would be remiss to not include them in the portrayal of life in themountains.”

Losh said this was why they decided to use a family’s journey as anarrative to open and close the story, to give the book some context of thepeople who live there, and make it relate to their daily lives.

Coudrat came up with a list of the key species she wanted to beillustrated in the book, specifically ones that are endemic, rare, beautiful,iconic, evolutionarily distinct, little known, and highly threatened in theregion (and beyond).

Losh spent a lot of time looking through tons of pictures from thefield and from camera-traps pre-selected by Coudrat to get a better idea of thedetails of not just the animals, but everything from orchids to ferns to treebarks.

Many of the illustrations in the book were directly inspired bycertain locations in the photos.

“Despite the fact that it remains an illustrated children’s book,it was very important for it to be as ecologically accurate as possible,including the representation of certain behaviours of the different species,”he said.

There is a section at the end of the book that provides additionalfacts and details about all of the wildlife featured throughout.

The authors sought advice, suggestions, and comments from wildlifeexperts and colleagues working in the region to compile it.

The book will be produced in four language editions as physicaland/or e-books in English, English/French, English/Lao, and English/Vietnamese.-VNA