Repetitive in bulk, but in digestible doses, rewarding fare for younger browsers.
Thirty-three tributes to heroic working animals and doughty mascots, mostly in wartime.
Though the most colorful yarn here stars Voytek, a bear cub adopted by a brigade of expat Polish soldiers who taught him to smoke, drink, and even carry artillery shells, there’s a distinctly British (and doggy) slant to this large-format companion to the human-centered Survivors (2017). Long sticks mostly to the two world wars, with occasional excursions to ground zero on and after 9/11, the (latest) war in Afghanistan, and a few other bidders. He relates, in no obvious order, exploits of Murphy the donkey, the “four-legged ambulance” of Gallipoli; “Sgt.” Reckless, a packhorse awarded two Purple Hearts in Korea; several rescue dogs in the trenches and the Blitz; homing pigeons who carried timely or lifesaving messages for incredible distances; even a cat who helped the crew of a damaged ship survive a monthslong siege. The author goes for sentiment over gritty detail (Blitz rescue dog Rip’s “little heart eventually gave up”), and if not all of the animals survived their heroics, the narratives at least end on upbeat notes. Hyndman adds painted portraits at the chapter heads and occasional double-page scenes of climactic moments; human figures likely default to white, though they are uncommon and their faces are turned away or left in shadow. There is a table of contents but no index or source list.
Repetitive in bulk, but in digestible doses, rewarding fare for younger browsers. (Nonfiction. 9-12)Pub Date: Nov. 29, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-571-34210-5
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2018
“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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