An inspiring success story for animal-rescue advocates.
A step-by-step account of concerted efforts underway to rescue the hundreds of rare sea turtles washed ashore around Cape Cod every winter.
Successfully reviving plate-size “Kemp’s ridley sea turtles” that have been stunned by unseasonably chill waters turns out to be a fussy, complicated process. The authors explain things in careful detail as they give readers a chance to meet many of the workers who search beaches, carefully transport stranded turtles to a wildlife rehabilitation lab for treatment, and then return the survivors to the shore. How rare is the Kemp’s ridley? Astonishingly, until recently there was but one nesting site in the world, and in 1985, fewer than 250 females laid eggs there. Thanks to efforts like the one documented here, that population has been steadily growing since then. The authors also include information on the animal’s life cycle; after finishing this work—and poring over the many bright color photos—concerned young eco-activists will come away agreeing with the wildlife biologist who dubs these turtles “charismatic.” Those eager to help will appreciate the backmatter, which offers guidance on combating climate change and helping sea turtles.
An inspiring success story for animal-rescue advocates. (photo credits) (Nonfiction. 7-9)Pub Date: July 15, 2025
ISBN: 9781623545864
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: March 8, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2025
An affectionate picture of bears and bear scientists, capped with a page of moon bear facts and an afterword.
Not one but three roly-poly moon bear cubs star in this true animal rescue tale.
Orphaned by poachers, Yasha, joined later by Shum and Shiksha, are nurtured by Pokrovskaya and another scientist for nearly two years on a game preserve until they were ready to be released into the Siberian wild. Taking a slightly anthropomorphized bear’s-eye point of view (“Yasha was happy with his new home”), Kvatum chronicles the cubs’ development as they learn to forage on their own while playing together and learning to climb trees. She also notes how important it is for human observers to remain aloof—minimizing physical contact and even wearing scent-concealing clothing—to prevent the animals from becoming dependent or domesticated. Looking positively fetching in the big, color photos, shaggy Yasha and his ursine cohorts grow visibly as they ramble through woodsy settings, splash in a river and survive an encounter with a prowling tiger before being deemed ready to live on their own.
An affectionate picture of bears and bear scientists, capped with a page of moon bear facts and an afterword. (map, bibliography) (Informational picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: July 10, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4263-1051-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: National Geographic
Review Posted Online: May 15, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2012
“Humans are lucky to have rodents,” Munro argues…and makes her case with equal warmth to hearts and minds.
Twenty-one representatives of the largest mammalian order pose in this fetching portrait gallery.
Each one depicted, all or in part, at actual size, the rodentine array begins with a pocket-watch–size African pygmy jerboa and concludes with the largest member of the clan, the “sweet-looking capybara.” In between, specimens climb the scale past chipmunks and northern flying squirrels to a Norway rat, porcupine, and groundhog. Despite a few outliers such as the naked mole rat and a rather aggressive-looking beaver, Munro’s animals—particularly her impossibly cute guinea pig—strongly exude shaggy, button-eyed appeal. Her subjects may come across as eye candy, but they are drawn with naturalistic exactitude, and in her accompanying descriptive comments, she often relates certain visible features to distinctive habitats and behaviors. She also has a terrific feel for the memorable fact: naked mole rats run as quickly backward in their tunnels as forward; African giant pouched rats have been trained to sniff out mines; the house mouse “is a romantic. A male mouse will sing squeaky love songs to his girlfriend” (that are, fortunately or otherwise, too high for humans to hear). Closing summaries will serve budding naturalists in need of further specifics about sizes, diets, geographical ranges, and the like.
“Humans are lucky to have rodents,” Munro argues…and makes her case with equal warmth to hearts and minds. (websites, index) (Informational picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-8234-3860-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 5, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2018
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