Wikijunior:Big Cats/Foreword
Wild cats are some of Earth's grandest treasures, and their stories excite the imagination of children of all ages. Many of these cats are endangered, and the children who will one day assume responsibility for these animals should be able to learn what they can about their lives. After all, we appreciate what we understand, and save what we appreciate. The importance of this task has led many experts here at Wikibooks to donate their time and talents to bring this volume together.
Wikibooks is a project of the Wikimedia Foundation, aimed at providing free, easily available quality reading for adults and children to promote the global spread of knowledge. Traditional publishing houses make the bulk of their income from re-issues of classic books, new books by authors with long track records, or celebrities who are famous in their own right. The chances of a truly good new work being published solely on the basis of merit skyrocket when you overturn the traditional business model and tap the wellspring of new talent out there using the 'net.
With this project we have reached a crossroad between the books of yesterday, and the encyclopedia of everything for tomorrow. Simply by reading this book and telling your friends, you have advanced the cause of free access to information and of democratizing the field of publishing. Thank you, and once again, welcome.