An unusual subject, sensitively handled.
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
BOOK REVIEW
A gleeful game for budding naturalists.
Artfully cropped animal portraits challenge viewers to guess which end they’re seeing.
In what will be a crowd-pleasing and inevitably raucous guessing game, a series of close-up stock photos invite children to call out one of the titular alternatives. A page turn reveals answers and basic facts about each creature backed up by more of the latter in a closing map and table. Some of the posers, like the tail of an okapi or the nose on a proboscis monkey, are easy enough to guess—but the moist nose on a star-nosed mole really does look like an anus, and the false “eyes” on the hind ends of a Cuyaba dwarf frog and a Promethea moth caterpillar will fool many. Better yet, Lavelle saves a kicker for the finale with a glimpse of a small parasitical pearlfish peeking out of a sea cucumber’s rear so that the answer is actually face and butt. “Animal identification can be tricky!” she concludes, noting that many of the features here function as defenses against attack: “In the animal world, sometimes your butt will save your face and your face just might save your butt!” (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A gleeful game for budding naturalists. (author’s note) (Informational picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: July 11, 2023
ISBN: 9781728271170
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks eXplore
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Friends of these pollinators will be best served elsewhere.
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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