Saving Animals from Oil Spills

November 1, 2011

Gr 3-5-After disasters, many animals face certain death unless humans intervene. This series offers true accounts of rescue attempts; some fail, many are successful. Each story is fast-paced and thrilling. The text is in boxes at the tops of the pages, while captioned photos fill the bottoms. The stories can be heart-wrenching; e.g., Earthquakes explains that a panda was crushed to death during a quake and the cover of Floods shows a pig fighting to keep its head above water. Each title ends with one page of famous disasters and rescues and another explaining which animals are at risk from the catastrophes. Important, current introductions for young environmentalists and animal lovers.

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2011
Grades 3-5 Featuring colorful, visually packed pages and readable prose, this title in the Rescuing Animals from Disasters series offers an accessible introduction to the impact of oil spills on a variety of creatures. Opening with a pelican rescue off Louisiana's coast, the spreads move on to an explanation of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, including a mention of its human toll. Later sections delve further into how oil spills specifically imperil wildlife, along with the processes and materials used for cleaning them. Accounts of animal rescues, rescue workers, and caregivers help personalize the subject, while a discussion of the 1989 Exxon Valdez incident in Alaska further illustrates oil spills' long-term effects on food chains. Throughout, basic concepts are well conveyed, and inset text adds additional, useful commentary on each page. The abundant photos include some hard-hitting images, such as views of oil-soaked animals and a dead dolphin, but there are also plenty of photos of animal survivors and their rescuers. A glossary, bibliography, and suggestions for further reading are appended.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)