Water: How We Can Protect Our Freshwater by Catherine Barr – Perfect Picture Book Friday

Water: How We Can Protect Our Freshwater

Catherine Barr, Author

Christiiane Engel, Illustrator

Candlewick Press, Nonfiction, Mar. 21, 2023

Suitable for ages: 5-9

Pages: 32

Themes: Water, Conservation, Protection, Activism, Earth Day

Publisher’s Synopsis:

Water is life. Freshwater bubbles, flows with the most wonderful life on earth, and all of us rely on it to stay alive. It fuels all life on earth. But worldwide pollution and climate change make it increasingly difficult for people and animals to find the clean water they need to survive. It is time to act!

A focused call for action, this lively book narrates the history of our watery earth, succinctly explains the water cycle and the different types of freshwater, and introduces the vast array of living beings that depend on clean water for survival—as well as the devastating impact of water shortages on the lives of children around the world. Packed with facts and specific tips, bright and expansive illustrations, and end matter for further reading, this hopeful challenge inspires young readers to take action, use water wisely, and work together to defend a precious shared resource.

Why I like this book:

This is a beautiful resource book for classroom. It is perfect for upcoming Earth Day, April 22., the 53rd anniversary of this specially observed day. This years theme is “Invest in our Planet,” and I can’t think of anything more important than protecting our freshwater resources. World Water Day was March 22.

Each double-page spread is considered a chapter .Each spread begins with a discussion and ends with a section called “Face the facts.” Catherine Barr leads readers through a discussion about the first water on Earth,, how rare water is, water cycles, and the colors of water. Water is life and it carries power and it’s important to share. However, it is under threat because of pollution. Our water is precious and is it important to use it wisely. I especially like a section on “Girl Power” showing the importance of wells in rural villages around the world freeing girls to attend school. Barr shows readers the many ways they can begin to take action at home, school and in their community.

Christiane Engel’s illustrations are stunning and are a perfect match for the material. Her artwork is lively and busy — so much for children to study. And it energizes readers want to get involved. Make sure you check out the endpapers!

Resources:The entire book is a resource for home and school. Encourage kids to brainstorm together about what they can do at home and school: catch rainwater for watering gardens and only running the dishwasher when it is full. Make a big list and pledge to do some of the things on the list. Journal and write about your observations. Most important, get involved in a climate action group.

Catherine Barr campaigned to protest endangered species with Greenpeace for many years before becoming a children’s book author. She lives with her family in England, where whe writes a wide variety of informative books to spark curiiosity and inspire action to protect the natureal world.

Every Friday, authors and KidLit bloggers post a favorite picture book. To see a complete listing of all the Perfect Picture Books (PPB) with resources, please visit author Susanna Leonard Hill’s website.

*Review copy provided by Candlewick in exchange for a review.

The Boy Who Grew A Forest by Sophia Gholz

The Boy Who Grew A Forest: The True Story of Jadav Payeng

Sophia Gholz, Author

Kayla Harren, Illustrator

Sleeping Bear Press, Biography, March 2019

Suitable for ages: 5- 8

Themes: Jadav Payeng, Forests, India, Environmentalism, Foresters, Conservation

Opening: “In India, on a large river island, among farms and families hard at work, there lived a boy who loved trees. Trees meant shade, food and shelter for many.”

Book Synopsis:

As a boy, Jadav Payeng was saddened as he saw the deforestation and erosion of India’s Brahmaputra River region, the place he called home. He found dead snakes and feared that same thing would happen to the villagers. He shared his fears with the village elders who gave Jada 20 bamboo seedlings. He planted them on a sandbar, devised a watering system and brought rich soil to encourage growth. They trees flourished and became a healthy thicket. Jada wanted to do more, so he began cultivating the land — and planting more trees and plants. What began as a small thicket of bamboo grew over the years into a 1,330-acre forest filled with native plants and wildlife. His story reminds us all the difference a single person with a big idea can make.

Why I like this book:

This is such a timely book for young people and a perfect Earth Day read. Young Jadav’s decision to try to make a difference in his community will inspire and empower young readers to get involved in conservation projects to protect the environment. The text is sparse and supported by rich, lush and stunning illustrations that move the story forward. Each two-page spread allows readers to pour over the artwork, ask questions and discuss Jadav’s conservation work. Today the entire forest has been named after Jadav “Molai” Payeng–Molai Forest.

Jadav’s story is an excellent read-aloud in classrooms. Jadav models that one child can make a difference. Hopefully it will inspire students to think about what they can do in their own communities to create a healthier environment for everyone.

Favorite quotes: “Only by growing plants, the Earth will survive.” Jadav Payeng

“The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time to plant a tree is now.” – proverb

Resources: Make sure you check out the Author’s Note about Jadav’s ideas on reforestation and Plant a Forest of Your Own by growing and planting seeds. Great ideas and directions for home or school. Encourage kids to get involved in projects for Earth Day, April 22.

Sophia Gholz is a children’s book author and lover of trees. She grew up in northern Florida, surrounded by oak trees and longleaf pine forests. But Sophia’s favorite trees are the willows she encountered while visiting Australia as a child. Favorite aside, she believes that all trees are equally important. Today, Sophia lives by the beach with her family, where she spends he time researching, writing, and dreaming about faraway places. The Boy Who Grew a Forest is Sophia’s debut picture book. Visit Sophia at her website.

Every Friday, authors and KidLit bloggers post a favorite picture book. To see a complete listing of all the Perfect Picture Books (PPB) with resources, please visit author Susanna Leonard Hill’s website.

*Reviewed from a library copy.

Snow Leopard: Ghost of the Mountains by Justin Anderson

World Wildlfe Day, Mar. 3, 2020

Snow Leopard: Ghost of the Mountains

Justin Anderson, Author

Patrick Benson, Illustrator

Candlewick Press, Non-fiction, Oct. 8, 2019

Suitable for Ages: 5-8

Themes: Snow Leopards, Himalayan Mountains, Endangered, Conservation

Opening: “The people who live among the Himalayan mountains tell stories of a mysterious aniaml they call the gray ghost. They say that if you see one, you’ll be so happy and excited, you’ll feel as if your soul is flying.”

Book Synopsis:

Join a zoologist in the Himalayan mountains as he searches for the elusive snow leopard. With her pale gold and silver-gray coat painted with black rosettes, the snow leopard blends into the boulders so well that it’s no wonder she’s called the gray ghost of the mountians. But the lucky few who spot her will be rewarded with a sight they won’t soon forget.

Look! A line of paw prints in the snow. This might be your lucky day! Follow the tracks to discover the secret world of a rar and utterly majestic creature.

Why I like this book:

Readers will feel like they are with author, Justin Anderson, on a grand adventure to find the elusive snow leopard, hidden high in the rugged Himalayas. The author’s descriptive narrative is mesmarizing as readers scour the pages in search of the snow leopard. Readers will also learn about the leopard’s habitat, motherhood and teaching a cub survival instincts, territorial behavior, and diet of sheep, ibex, marmots, goats and yaks.

This non-fiction picture book is packed with additional factual information set in small print at the bottom of each spread. It provides nature lovers with valuable insight into snow leopard habits. For example: “Snow leopards have the longest tail of any cat. Not only is it an amazing scarf, but it also helps them keep their balance when they’re jumping between rocks or chasing prey.” Snow Leopard will appeal to elementary school children who are interested in details about animals and nature.

Patrick Benson’s stunning watercolors capture the strength of this majestic creature and the starkness of its surroundings. His illustrations blend beautifully with Anderson’s story with double-page spreads that give the cat a larger than life appeal. Readers will grasp how challenging and exciting it is to spot a snow leopard in this wild terrain.

Resources: After a new snow, take a walk in nature and search for animal prints in the snow. Try to identify the prints. You may not find a snow leopard, but you will have fun identifying deer, rabbit and other animal foot prints.

Read the information about the vulnerable snow leopard at the back of the book. To find out more about saving snow leopards in Ladakh, look up the following organizations: The Snow Leopar Conservancy – India Trust and The Youth Association fo Conservation and Development in Hemis National Park.

Justin Anderson is a zoologist and filmmaker with a passion for animals and wild places. He spend months in Ladakh in northern India leading a BBC crew filming snow leopards for Planet Earth II. During that time his favorite adventures were riding a yak and hearing leopards singing in the moonlight. He says, “The first time I saw a snow leopard, I was so excited I danced a little jig of joy!” Anderson lives in England.

*Reviewed from a copy provided by the publisher.

Emily, 10-Year-Old Champion of Rainforest Animals in Need by Cathleen Burnham

Emily, 10-Year-Old Champion of Rainforest Animals in Need

Cathleen Burnham, Author and Photographer

Crickhollow Books, Nonfiction, Sep. 15, 2018

Series: World Association of Kids and Animals

Suitable for Ages: 7-12

Themes: Global Youth Activism, Nature, Rainforest, Animal Rescue, Baby Sloth, Endangered Wildlife

Opening: High in a tree in a rainforest in Costa Rica, a mother sloth slept, cradling her baby close to her. The mother was sleeping, but the baby was wide awake.

Synopsis:

Meet Emily, a 10-year-old girl, who is active in a youth-led conservation program to save rain forest animals in western Costa Rica. She helps care for an orphaned sloth at an animal sanctuary by taking it for walks along a jungle path and participates in other activities to protect local wildlife and their environment.

When Emily arrives at a local youth program, Kids Saving the Rainforest (KSTR), she and her friends perform a play about teaching tourists to not feed wild animals human food. Bananas and cookies makes them sick. They play is a good way to practice when they encounter tourists. Afterwards, they grab garbage bags and enter the jungle to clean up trash, plastic bottles, gum wrappers and food packages that can make animals sick. They also sponsor blue rope bridges to help squirrel monkeys cross busy roads and stay away from dangerous power lines. Because of their work, the titi monkey populations are growing.

The story highlights the impact young people can have on protecting local wild animals and preserving natural habitats.

Like the earlier books in this World Association of Kids and Animals (WAKA) series (Doyli to the Rescue: Saving Baby Monkeys in the Amazon; Tortuga Squad: Kids Saving Sea Turtles in Costa Rica; and Tony and His Elephants, set in Thailand), the text and photos show a youngster deeply involved in caring for the well-being of baby wild animals in need of shelter, food, and lots of love.

Why I like this book:

Cathleen Burnham’s mission is to find, photograph and celebrate children who are united in a cause to rescue and save endangered wildlife around the globe. Her true and inspiring photodocumentary books are a call to children globally that they don’t have to be adults to make a difference. Emily and the youth of western Costa Rica are passionate young conservationists trying to save rainforest animals through their organization Kids Saving the Rainforest (KSTR).

Burnham’s books inspire and empower children. Every page is filled with rich, beautiful and touching photographs that capture life in the Costa Rica rainforest and shows the delicate ecosystems and the gorgeous endangered species living there, including sloths, birds and a variety of monkeys. She also focuses on the dangers in the town of monkeys trying to cross the streets and shows the young KSTR activists engaged with tourists.

The conservation message is clear and blended into a glimpse of everyday life of child activists who are involved in inspiring small-scale, grassroots animal-rescue efforts. The story shows the impact young people can have on protecting local wild animals and preserving natural habitats.

Burnham continues to show that children can have a real impact on the world around them! Kids are not just the next generations of caretakers of our planet, they also can do things now to make a difference. The WAKA series are stories of kid power — real kids who inspire other kids to empathize with the wild world around them, to see how we are all connected on this planet, and to find ways to make a difference.

Resources: To learn more about the amazing things Emily and other committed children are doing to protect wildlife around the globe, visit the World Association of Kids and Animals (WAKA) and get involved. There is a special teacher’s guide available for classroom use. Make sure you read the Author’s Note about the story behind KSTR and the two nine-year-old girls who founded the organization. Burnham also encourages kids to ask themselves, “What do you care about most? What can you do to make a difference? Is there something you can do in your community?

*Copy of book provided by publisher.

Heal the Earth by Julian Lennon

Happy Earth Day, Apr. 22, 2018

Heal the Earth

Julian Lennon with Bart Davis, Authors

Smiljana Coh, Illustrator

Sky Pony Press, Fictions, Apr. 3, 2018

Suitable for Ages: 3-6

Themes: Nature, Environment, Conservation, Ocean reefs, Rain forest, Medicines, Green spaces

Opening: Welcome to our planet Earth.

Book Synopsis:

The magical White Feather Flier is back on a new adventure to heal the Earth! Use your imagination power to make it fly and take you on a great helping journey.

The Flier’s mission is to transport readers around the world, to engage them in helping to save the environment, and to teach one and all to love our planet. Just press a button printed on the page, and point the plane up in the air to fly, or down to land it!

Bring medicine to people in need!
Dive below the ocean to bleached coral reefs!
Visit the city to cultivate green spaces!
Help the rain forest return and give its animals a home!
Explore the planet, meet new people, and help make the world a better place!

An inspiring, lyrical story, rooted in Lennon’s life and work, Heal the Earth is filled with beautiful illustrations that bring the faraway world closer to young children.

Why I like this book:

It beautiful interactive book that speaks directly to younger children and empowers them to be part of the magic of healing and loving our planet and its inhabitants. The spare text is lyrical and skillfully written with vivid imagery. Smiljana Coh’s gorgeous illustrations will appeal to children’s senses. She includes a diverse cast of characters and children will see someone who looks like them.

Readers are asked questions and invited to join the adventure. They will be encouraged to use their imaginations and push buttons at the bottom of the pages to transport them to areas of the earth that are in need of healing. They see the problems that exist and then are given the opportunity to make a positive impact. Every time they succeed, they are congratulated for a job well done.

There is age-appropriate geographical information about the planet and how it is divided into continents. Kids are encouraged to touch each continent, say its name and pick the continent where they live.

The book includes words to a new, special poem written by Julian Lennon, specifically for Heal the Earth. It is a lovely addition to the book and could be a stand-alone-book.

A portion of the proceeds from book sales will go to support the environmental and humanitarian efforts of the White Feather Foundation, the global environmental and humanitarian organization that Lennon founded to promote education, health, conservation, and the protection of indigenous culture.

Resources: The book is a great way to approach the subject of caring for the earth, during Earth Day. It is a resource because it encourages children to discuss problems around the globe and ask a lot of questions about getting involved in preserving their planet.

Julian Lennon is a Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter, photographer, documentarian, philanthropist, and author of the New York Times bestselling children’s book Touch the Earth. Born in Liverpool, England, Lennon is an observer of life in all its forms developing his personal expression through his artistic endeavors. He hopes that his kids book trilogy will inspire and educate children to preserve our planet for future generations.

Phoebe’s Heron by Winnie Anderson

Phoebe’s Heron

Winnie Anderson, Author

Crispin Books, Historical Fiction, Feb. 5, 2018

Pages: 226

Suitable for Ages: 8-12

Themes: Nature, Birds, Wildlife, Colorado, Conservation, Friendship, Courage

It is 1900. Twelve-year-old Phoebe Greer, her family and Nurse Daisy move from their home in Denver to a newly built cliff-top cabin in Ridge, at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. The doctors recommend that the dry, fresh, clean air in the mountains may be the cure for her mother’s tuberculosis.

While Phoebe wants her mother to get well, she misses her busy city life in Denver (a dusty cow town) and her best friend Lisbeth, whose parents own Denver’s finest millinery store. The two girls have spent hours in front of the looking-glass parading with fancy feathered hats on their heads. They also have fun trying to teach the millinery shop parrot to curse.

Phoebe loves to draw. Her father gives her a sketchbook so she can explore her new surroundings. She follows Bearberry Trail which winds along Bear Creek and ends up at a breathtaking lake. There she meets a local boy, Jed. However, Jed is a plume hunter, a commercial hunter of birds. He desperately wants to find a great blue heron, whose feathers are in great demand for women’s hats.

The two youth gradually become friends. Jed shows Phoebe the delights of the natural world in the Colorado Rockies, and their friendship deepens. They meet at a large flat rock in the lake, where she sketches and he catches large trout with his swift bare hands. Her views of living in the wild and nature begin to change her and blend nicely with her passion for capturing its beauty in her artwork. One day, Phoebe sees a magnificent great blue heron in the creek, which she sketches in her book. She does not tell Jed about spotting this bird, because she can’t bear the thought of this majestic creature losing its freedom even though it is “survival” for Jed.

Phoebe hears about the Audubon club that wants laws to protect birds from being killed for their feathers. Phoebe’s mother tells her that the movement has come to Denver and a chapter is forming. But Phoebe’s mother grows worse, and soon, things may change.

What I love about this book:

Winnie Anderson’s debut novel is wistful and poetic. Her beautiful words create vivid imagery of Phoebe’s new life on the mountain top. The setting is so appealing that it becomes a beloved character. The rich dialogue paints a picturesque view of Colorado in 1900. You want to leap into the story and observe the untamed country with Phoebe and Jed.

This hopeful and heartwarming coming of age story is about a teen dealing with a sick mother, family relationships, friendships and her passion to draw everything around her. I enjoyed watching her transformation from a privileged Denver teen to a thoughtful one who observes and develops her own beliefs. The characters are authentic, most are good-hearted but others are privileged and snobby. This creates a dilemma for Phoebe in her friendship, with Jed, when her father tells her to stay away from him.

Phoebe’s view about use of bird feathers in the women’s millinery business becomes unbearable for her. She takes a stand with both of her friends, Lisbeth and Jed, and tells them she wants to work with the Audubon club to protect the birds. The author makes short references to the early Audubon Society throughout the book.

Phoebe’s story is loosely based on Sarah Orne Jewett’s “A White Heron,” written in 1886. This book will be of interest to birders, Audubon Society members, and anyone interested in the early conservation movement at the beginning of the 1900s. This is the sixth middle grade novel I’ve reviewed in the past year that includes birding and conservation. It is an excellent novel for teens interested in environmental and conservation issues. This is a thoughtful story to read as Earth Day approaches April 22.

Resources: There is a detailed “Author’s Note” at the end the delves more into the Audubon Society. This book is an excellent classroom discussion book because of the many themes.

Winnie Anderson holds an MA in Writing from Johns Hopkins University, and has had stories published in various children’s magazines. This is her first novel. She lives in Baltimore, MD, and Evergreen, CO. Visit Anderson’s website.

Greg Pattridge is the host for Marvelous Middle Grade Monday posts on his wonderful Always in the Middle website. Check out the link to see all of the wonderful reviews by KidLit bloggers and authors.

*The publisher provided me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Water Walker by Joanne Robertson

International Women’s Day, Mar. 8 and World Water Day, Mar. 22, 2018

The Water Walker

Joanne Robertson, Author and Illustrator

Second Story Press, Fiction, Sep. 15, 2017

Suitable for Ages: 6-9

Themes: Water Conservation, Environmental Protection, Great Lakes Region, Indigenous Grandmothers, Ojibwa Indians

Opening: Nokomis loved Nibi, and Nibi Loved Nokomis.

Synopsis: The true story of a determined Ojibwe grandmother (Nokomis) Josephine Mandamin and her great love for Nibi (water). Her passion began as a girl when she would hop out of bed in the morning and sing “Gichi miigwech, Nibi, for the life you give to every living thing on Earth. I love you. I respect. you.” She was warned by the wise chief that “the day will come when an ounce of water costs more than an ounce of gold. What are you going to do about it?” Eventually she founded the Mother Earth Walkers.

Nokomis walks to raise awareness of our need to protect Nibi for future generations, and for all life on the planet. Nokomis, along with other women, men, and young people, has walked around all of the Great Lakes from the four salt waters — or oceans — all the way to Lake Superior. During one walk alone, Josephine put almost 4,500,000 footsteps on her sneakers!

Why I like this book:

Joanne Robertson’s book is an important tribute to activist Josephine Mandamin and the many Native women and men who have courageously walked around all of the Great Lakes to bring attention to the condition of our water. Her message is not political, but a simple plea to engage people to protect the water, our most important resource.

Robertson has written an exceptional environmental and conservation story that even young children will understand. The language is lyrical and simply presented. Her detailed and illustrations show Josephine’s spunk and determination. The book is interactive and perfect for classroom discussions. Josephine is a strong woman who demonstrates what true activism really means. Youth will be inspired to know that Josephine is passionate about for protecting water for their generation and many more to come. She is a great role model for International Women’s Day. Many readers will want to join in her cause to protect the planet.

Josephine completed her final walk for water last summer. On April 20, 2017, Josephine, joined and supported by the Mother Earth Water Walkers, started out from Duluth, Minnesota then walked east for 97 days along the Great Lakes, arriving in Matane, Québec on July 27. She traveled over 3,197 miles and put over 6,394,000 footsteps on her sneakers.

Resources: This is an engaging book for World Water Day, Mar. 22, 2018. The book includes a glossary and pronunciation guide for Ojibwe words used in the text. It ends with a note from the author inviting young readers to write a letter to Josephine to tell her all about what they are doing to help protect the environment. Her address is included. This would make an excellent classroom project.

Joanne Robertson is AnishinaabeKwe and a member of Atikameksheng Anishnawbek. She received her Fine Arts degree from Algoma University and Shingwauk Kinoomaage Gamig. She founded the Empty Glass for Water campaign to bring attention to the drinking water crisis in Indigenous communities. She works as a research assistant at the Shingwauk Residential Schools Centre and continues to support the water walks. She lives near Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.

Tortuga Squad: Kids Saving Sea Turtles in Costa Rica

World Turtle Day, June 16, 2016

Tortuga Squad: Kids Saving Sea Turtles in Costa Rica

Cathleen Burnham, Author and Photographer

Crickhollow Books, Photodocumentary, Jan. 3, 2016

Suitable for Ages: 7-10

Themes: Sea Turtles, Environmental rescue, protection and rescue, Youth activism, Costa Rica, Global kids, Diversity

Synopsis: It is May and a group of children in Costa Rica are tirelessly working to protect and save the lives of sea turtles on Parismina Island. They call themselves the Tortuga Squad, which means “turtle” in Spanish. They are on the outlook for poachers who are watching the beaches for sea turtles that come ashore to dig deep holes and lay their eggs. They steal the eggs and kill the mama turtles and eat their meat for dinner.

Meet 6-year-old Bianca, who is patrolling the beach from a hidden bush. She recognizes the poacher, waits until the coast is clear, and races to her friend Christian’s house to get help for the trapped turtle. Melanie, Dylan and other children hear the cry for help and rush with Bianca and Christian to help flip the turtle back over and watch her escape into the sea.

The Tortuga Squad patrols the beaches every evening and works hard to protect turtles and their eggs. Humans are their greatest threat. The children build a hatchery to safeguard the eggs until they hatch. Once the turtles are ready for release, the Tortuga Squad clears the beach of crabs, birds, dogs and other potential threats. They want to make sure that every little leatherback baby turtle make it to the water on its first journey over the shallow reef and to the ocean.

Tortuga kid-releasing-turtle Compliments of Crickhollow Books

Why I love the Tortuga Squad:

Cathleen Burnham is on a mission to find, highlight and photograph children who are united in a cause to rescue and save endangered marine and animal life around the globe. Her true and inspiring story is a call to children worldwide that they don’t have to be adults to make a difference. The kids of Parismina Island are passionate young activists who care and want to be involved in protecting the turtles.
The Tortuga Squad is an engaging story for readers and is perfectly paced. Keeping turtle nests safe is a busy job for the squad and readers will enjoy the important mission. There is factual information about the variety of sea turtles that visit Parismina Island to lay their eggs on the dangerous beach: leatherback, hawksbill, loggerhead and green turtles. There is also a map of Costa Rica and Central America. The Tortuga Squad is a winner and an excellent discussion book for children, parents and teachers.
Every page of the book is filled with rich, beautiful and moving photographs that show the young Tortuga Squad activists in action. Burnham also captures every aspect of life in Costa Rica including family life, the market place, and travel by boat. Burnham devotes many double-page spreads to the delicate ecosystem and the gorgeous endangered species living there, including howler monkeys, sloths, pelicans, crocodiles and beautiful birds.

Resources: To learn more about the amazing things children are doing to protect wildlife around the globe, visit the World Association of Kids and Animals (WAKA) and get involved. There is a special teacher’s guide available for classroom use. Make sure you read the Author’s Note about sea turtles and the kids of Costa Rica. Check out the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Fisheries website. They will observe Sea Turtle Week, June 13-17.

Cathleen Burnham is a journalist, writer and photographer. In addition to the Tortuga Squad, Burnham is the author of Doyli to the Rescue, the first “photodocumentary” book in a series of six forthcoming books for young readers that profile wildlife preservation efforts being undertaken by kids around the globe.

Doylie to the Rescue: Saving Baby Monkeys in the Amazon

Doylie to the Rescue: Saving Baby Monkeys in the Amazon

Cathleen Burnham, Author and Photographer

Crickhollow Books, Nonfiction, April 2015

Suitable for Ages: 4-10

Themes: Amazon rain forest, Global kids, Youth activism, Wild animal rescue, Baby monkeys, Conservation and protection

Opening: “The Yagua Indian man crept through the Amazon rain forest in Peru. He had been hunting a family of red howler monkeys for hours. If he was successful, his family would eat meat that day. If not, they would go hungry.”

Synopsis: Doyli, a 10-year-old girl with a big smile, lives in the Amazon rain forest. With the help of her family, they rescue and protect orphaned monkeys from hunters and thieves, nurse them back to health and release them to the wild when they are ready.

Why I like this book:

Cathleen Burnham has written a powerful and inspiring true-story that carries a very strong message for children that they don’t have to be adults to make a difference. Doyli is proof of how one small act of caring can have an extraordinary impact in protecting wildlife.

This book engages readers in Doyli’s rehabilitation work from the start. It also includes a fascinating glimpse of every day life in the Amazon rain forest. Doyli does household chores, collects drinking water from the river for the family, takes a bath in the river, and travels with her brother in a dug-out canoe to school where she studies math, Spanish, and science. After school, Doyli nurtures the orphaned monkeys back to health with a special diet and her love.

I especially like how the author doesn’t judge the Yagua Indian for shooting a monkey with a poison dart. He’s only trying to feed his family. The same hunter discovers the monkey he shoots has a baby, which he delivers to Doyli’s home the next morning. He knows the baby will be cared for and released back to its natural habitat — a kind of cycle of life story. The story also shows a dark side, where Doyli discovers a man selling a spider monkey in the marketplace. With the help of the police, the man is arrested and Doyli takes the spider monkey home.

Every page of the book is filled with lush, beautiful and touching photographs that really SHOW every aspect of Doyli’s life in the Amazon, the delicate ecosystem and the gorgeous endangered species living in the rain forest. Readers will also devour all the factual information.

Resources: To learn more about the amazing things Doyli and other children are doing to protect wildlife around the globe, visit the World Association of Kids and Animals (WAKA) and get involved. There is a special teacher’s guide available for classroom use. Make sure you read the Author’s Note about the story behind the story of finding Doyli and her family.

Cathleen Burnham is a journalist, writer and photographer. Doyli to the Rescue is the first “photodocumentary” book in a series of six forthcoming books for young readers that profile wildlife preservation efforts being undertaken by kids around the globe.

Every Friday, authors and KidLit bloggers post a favorite picture book. To see a complete listing of all the Perfect Picture Books (PPB) with resources, please visit author Susanna Leonard Hill’s Perfect Picture Books.

Our Earth – Earth Day April 22

Our Earth: How Kids are Saving the Planet

Janet Wilson, Author and Illustrator

Second Story Press, Biography, 2010

Suitable for Ages: 7 -12

Themes: Kids Saving the Planet, Conservation, Environmentalists, Youth Activists

Opening: Every living thing shares one home — our Earth.

Synopsis: This is a collection of stories featuring 10 children, ages 7 to 17, who are doing amazing things to save the earth. The youths live in every part of the world. Wilson says that nearly half the earth’s population is young. Many are compassionate, creative and share a love of nature. She features Ryan Hreljac from Canada who is building wells in Africa to bring people clean water…Janine Licare from Costa Rica who is saving the rainforest and its animals…Adeline Tiffanie Suwana from Indonesia whose organization, Sahabat Alam (Friends of Nature) plants coral in damaged ocean reefs and mangroves trees to prevent damage from hurricanes and natural disasters…Fang Minghe of China and his Green Eyes Group rush to the outdoor markets looking for endangered breeds of animals and secretly films the sellers and reports them to the police…Sam Levin from the USA who has created a student run organic school vegetable garden which supplies the school’s cafeteria with fresh fruits and vegetables and donates food to needy families….and William Kamkwamba of Malawi, who built a windmill to harness the wind and create electricity for his village. These are only a few of the inspiring stories.

Why I like this book: This is an exciting book for Earth Day, April 22! I have watched children activists grow in numbers worldwide for years. Janet Wilson has written a very empowering book about young people who have a strong desire to create a healthier world. Each two-page spread includes a portrait of each child by Wilson, photographs of their work, quotes and information about their projects. In the opening of Our Earth, Wilson shares a version of a traditional Aboriginal story about the Rainbow Warriors, “children who have a strong love of nature and a desire to find ways to be part of the solution.” “They are our Rainbow Warriors. ”

Resources: Wilson devotes a section to “Kids Create!” at the end of the book where children can learn more about conservation and find ways to get involved at home, school and in their community. You can visit Janet Wilson at her website and view her other books on peace and young activists. I also learned about an organization, Kids Are Heroes, where kids are making a big difference in our world. Vivian Kirkwood, at Positive Parental Participation, introduced me to this inspiring group of kids.