A mild rendition of the story of the International Children's Rain Forest, so named because thus far, 42,000 acres of Costa Rican forest have been purchased and preserved through the fund-raising efforts of children. In a departure from her usual style, Patent (Hugger to the Rescue, 1994, etc.) brings immediacy to her journey with a first- person narration in the first and last chapters. But the book is not as focused as many of her works. Despite the title, the children's efforts are not thoroughly discussed until the middle of the book, and then in no more detail than can be found in magazine articles. Patent's arguments as to why tropical rain forests should be saved are somewhat weak and not particularly unique to those habitats. Inserts in the chapters highlighting particular animals or plants convey information but also break up the flow of the main story. Perlman's full-color photographs are exquisite and capture some of the enormous variety of plant and animal life there; still, the pictures lose some of their impact when readers are invited, in the afterword, to buy rain forest greeting cards from Perlman, with a portion of the profits going toward preservation of the rain forest. Patent also suggests that readers raise money by holding bake sales and car washes, collecting pennies, etc. That children preserved part of a rain forest will empower readers, but the fund- raising message may be a bit overreaching. (maps, glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 10+)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 1996
ISBN: 0-525-65163-2
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1996
Remarking that ``nothing about the weather is very simple,'' Simon goes on to describe how the sun, atmosphere, earth's rotation, ground cover, altitude, pollution, and other factors influence it; briefly, he also tells how weather balloons gather information. Even for this outstanding author, it's a tough, complex topic, and he's not entirely successful in simplifying it; moreover, the import of the striking uncaptioned color photos here isn't always clear. One passage—``Cumulus clouds sometimes build up into towering masses called cumulus congestus, or swelling cumulus, which may turn into cumulonimbus clouds''—is superimposed on a blue-gray, cloud-covered landscape. But which kind of clouds are these? Another photo, in blue-black and white, shows what might be precipitation in the upper atmosphere, or rain falling on a darkened landscape, or...? Generally competent and certainly attractive, but not Simon's best. (Nonfiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1993
ISBN: 0-688-10546-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1993
A beautiful conservation story told in a rich setting and peopled with memorable characters.
Unlike the rest of her nature-obsessed family, Louisa wants to be a musician, not a biologist.
But when Louisa’s mother finds out that the Australian government is about to destroy the Tasmanian rainforest camp their family has managed for decades, she insists that Louisa leave Toronto and spend the summer on the strange, small island with her even stranger uncle Ruff. But when Uncle Ruff gives Louisa a copy of her great-grandmother’s journal, Louisa becomes fascinated with her family’s history of secretly protecting endangered species, including the mysterious Tasmanian tiger, widely regarded as extinct. With the help of her new friend and neighbor Colin—a boy who has autism spectrum disorder—Louisa deepens her connection with her family’s land, with history, and with her love of music. Kadarusman masterfully creates a lush, magical world where issues associated with conservation, neurodiversity, and history intersect in surprising and authentic ways. The book’s small cast of characters (principals seem all White) is well drawn and endearing. Crucially, the author acknowledges the original, Indigenous inhabitants of the land as experts, something rarely seen in books about environmental degradation. Louisa’s narratorial voice strikes the right balance of curiosity, timidity, and growing confidence, and her character’s transformation feels both incredibly natural and incredibly rewarding to behold.
A beautiful conservation story told in a rich setting and peopled with memorable characters. (Fiction. 10-14)Pub Date: April 28, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-77278-054-3
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Pajama Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2020
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