A straightforward introduction to an appealing topic for upper-elementary and middle school readers.
Sick, injured, and orphaned wildlife who share our city lives are rescued and rehabilitated in specialized treatment centers.
Squirrels and foxes, raptors and loons, goslings and skunks, rabbits and raccoons—all kinds of animals survive and even thrive along with humans (and their machines and pets) in a busy urban area. But sometimes these wild creatures need some human assistance. Opening with a clear explanation of urban animal needs and why a rehab center is important, the author, communications coordinator at the Toronto Wildlife Centre, goes on to give specific examples of animal rescue, care, and release done by staff and volunteers there. Plentiful, well-chosen photographs add to the appeal. Chapter titles are set on spreads with striking images: an opossum among flowers, a trapped swan being rescued from the ice. A panel shows happy survivors trotting off after recovery and release. Throughout, pulled-out paragraphs and substantial text boxes add interesting facts, offer further examples, and contradict some popular assumptions. Why humans should help wild animals is given as much attention as how. The author’s suggestions for readers’ involvement include reminders about appropriate trash disposal as well as names of organizations, and a concluding chapter describes three similar rehab centers around the world.
A straightforward introduction to an appealing topic for upper-elementary and middle school readers. (photo credits, resources, index) (Nonfiction. 9-13)Pub Date: Nov. 15, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-77085-572-4
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Firefly
Review Posted Online: Sept. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2015
“In 1875 there were perhaps fifty million of them. Just twenty-five years later nearly every one of them was gone.” The author of many nonfiction books for young people (Bridges; Truck; Giants of the Highways, etc.) tells the story of the American bison, from prehistory, when Bison latifrons walked North America along with the dinosaurs, to the recent past when the Sioux and other plains Indians hunted the familiar bison. Robbins uses historic photographs, etchings, and paintings to show their sad history. To the Native Americans of the plains, the buffalo was central to their way of life. Arriving Europeans, however, hunted for sport, slaughtering thousands for their hides, or to clear the land for the railroad, or farmers. One telling photo shows a man atop a mountain of buffalo skulls. At the very last moment, enough individuals “came to their senses,” and worked to protect the remaining few. Thanks to their efforts, this animal is no longer endangered, but the author sounds a somber note as he concludes: “the millions are gone, and they will never come back.” A familiar story, well-told, and enhanced by the many well-chosen period photographs. (photo credits) (Nonfiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-689-83025-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2000
Here is an adventure in a unique setting. The lively text and lovely watercolors document three and a half months of a summer the artist and author spent at the South Pole, as part of the National Science Foundation Antarctic Artists & Writers Program. Hooper describes everyday life aboard the research ship Laurence M. Gould, a sturdy orange icebreaker that scientists use to travel between the islands to study the wide variety of animals who come each year to breed and raise their young. An assortment of penguins, elephant seals, giant petrels, huge skuas, and leopard seals hold center stage. Scientists are less important than the serious business of successfully raising young in the short summer season. The author captures the drama of the ice-cold ocean, alive with life: “Swarms of barrel-shaped blue-tinged salps, stuck together in floating chains. Minute creatures with red eyes. Sliding through the water in a curving path like a ribbon.” The artist provides striking paintings of the landscape and the animals in soft washy colors, and quick pencil sketches. The ice is lemon gold with mauve shadows, and the sea a silver gray in the 24-hour day. Animals are expressive and individual. The krill, the tiny shrimp-like creatures that form the backbone of the ocean food chain, appear in luminous glory. The author concludes with a page on global warming, a map of the islands visited, and an index. From cover to cover a personal and informative journey. (Nonfiction. 7-12)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-7922-7188-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: National Geographic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2000
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