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RATS TO THE RESCUE

Name: RATS TO THE RESCUE
Author: Scott Riley
ISBN: 9798765607985

THE UNLIKELY HEROES MAKING CAMBODIA SAFE

by Scott Riley with Sambat Meas ; illustrated by Huy Voun Lee ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 10, 2024

An unusual subject, sensitively handled.

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African pouched rats and their Cambodian handlers work together to find hidden land mines left over from a long-ago war.

This story stars Malen, who’s told that land mine discovery is “too difficult” and “not meant for young women.” People say similar things about Magawa, a giant African pouched rat: “too difficult,” “not meant for rats.” Malen, who grew up in Cambodia, where hidden explosives have rendered much of the land unsafe, doesn’t listen. Neither do the Tanzanians who train Magawa, one of many HeroRATS who have a “smelling superpower”: They can sniff out explosives. After finishing their training, Magawa and other “deminer” rats journey to Cambodia, where they work with Malen and her colleagues. For this book, co-author Riley worked with Meas, a staff member at APOPO, an organization that trains animals to detect land mines. (APOPO is an acronym of its Dutch name.) Lee’s illustrations depict the mine-discovery process: the ropes that demarcate the areas to be searched, as well as the harnessed rats that sniff in an orderly way until they find explosives to be dug up. The focus of this gently told narrative is the search; actual mine clearing happens offstage. Details of the “long war” are left to the backmatter, which includes a timeline and a map and notes that these clever rats and their brave handlers are searching for American bombs dropped during the Vietnam War, as well as Khmer Rouge mines from the 1970s. Readers will also find background on the real Malen and Magawa here.

An unusual subject, sensitively handled. (authors’ and illustrator’s notes, information on the HeroRATS of APOPO, rat-training instructions, pronunciation guide) (Informational picture book. 6-10)

Pub Date: Sept. 10, 2024

ISBN: 9798765607985

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Millbrook/Lerner

Review Posted Online: June 15, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2024

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

- BOOK REVIEW
THE FLOATING FIELD
by Scott Riley ; illustrated by Nguyen Quang & Kim Lien

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1001 BEES

by Joanna Rzezak ; illustrated by Joanna Rzezak ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 18, 2021

Friends of these pollinators will be best served elsewhere.

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This book is buzzing with trivia.

Follow a swarm of bees as they leave a beekeeper’s apiary in search of a new home. As the scout bees traverse the fields, readers are provided with a potpourri of facts and statements about bees. The information is scattered—much like the scout bees—and as a result, both the nominal plot and informational content are tissue-thin. There are some interesting facts throughout the book, but many pieces of trivia are too, well trivial, to prove useful. For example, as the bees travel, readers learn that “onion flowers are round and fluffy” and “fennel is a plant that is used in cooking.” Other facts are oversimplified and as a result are not accurate. For example, monofloral honey is defined as “made by bees who visit just one kind of flower” with no acknowledgment of the fact that bees may range widely, and swarm activity is described as a springtime event, when it can also occur in summer and early fall. The information in the book, such as species identification and measurement units, is directed toward British readers. The flat, thin-lined artwork does little to enhance the story, but an “I spy” game challenging readers to find a specific bee throughout is amusing.

Friends of these pollinators will be best served elsewhere. (Informational picture book. 8-10)

Pub Date: May 18, 2021

ISBN: 978-0-500-65265-7

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Thames & Hudson

Review Posted Online: April 13, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY | CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

- BOOK REVIEW
1001 BIRDS
by Joanna Rzezak ; illustrated by Joanna Rzezak

- BOOK REVIEW
1001 ANTS
by Joanna Rzezak ; illustrated by Joanna Rzezak

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WHAT IF YOU HAD AN ANIMAL HOME!?

From the What if You Had . . .? series

by Sandra Markle ; illustrated by Howard McWilliam ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 7, 2024

Another playful imagination-stretcher.

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Markle invites children to picture themselves living in the homes of 11 wild animals.

As in previous entries in the series, McWilliam’s illustrations of a diverse cast of young people fancifully imitating wild creatures are paired with close-up photos of each animal in a like natural setting. The left side of one spread includes a photo of a black bear nestling in a cozy winter den, while the right side features an image of a human one cuddled up with a bear. On another spread, opposite a photo of honeybees tending to newly hatched offspring, a human “larva” lounges at ease in a honeycomb cell, game controller in hand, as insect attendants dish up goodies. A child with an eye patch reclines on an orb weaver spider’s web, while another wearing a head scarf constructs a castle in a subterranean chamber with help from mound-building termites. Markle adds simple remarks about each type of den, nest, or burrow and basic facts about its typical residents, then closes with a reassuring reminder to readers that they don’t have to live as animals do, because they will “always live where people live.” A select gallery of traditional homes, from igloo and yurt to mudhif, follows a final view of the young cast waving from a variety of differently styled windows.

Another playful imagination-stretcher. (Informational picture book. 6-8)