Trouble at the Zoo

December 20, 2010
Young wildlife conservationist and media darling Bindi Irwin, daughter of the late "Crocodile Hunter" Steve Irwin, is as exuberant on the pages of this peppy early reader as she is on-screen. This first book in a series from the Irwin family's Australia Zoo in Queensland is set at the zoo during Bindi's underwater-themed 11th-birthday celebration. Wearing a seahorse costume, Bindi "glow with happiness" as she announces to the adoring crowd that proceeds from the event will "go towards preventing whaling in Antarctica." A second environmental angle surfaces when a disgruntled boy attempts to steal one of the zoo's eastern water dragons in a story line that brings a ripple of tension to an otherwise bubbly story. With the help of a green-winged macaw, Bindi foils the theft without embarrassing the culprit, urging him and the audience to understand "how important it is to respect these wonderful creatures and the habitats they live in." Though gushy, the slim novel is briskly paced and delivers its message with Bindi-worthy verve. Facts about water dragons and macaws are included. Ages 7–10.

February 15, 2011
Grades 1-4 The first in a series of six books, this early chapter book chronicles the fictional adventures of Bindi Irwin, daughter of the late Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin. Incorporating the message of conservation with subtle allusions to her father throughout, the story begins on the day of Bindis eleventh birthday party at the Australia Zoo, where the Irwin family resides, but the festivities take a turn for the worse when Bindis brother spies a young boy thieving an exotic animal from the zoo. Animal Fact Files included at the end of the book offer information about many of the species that make appearances in the story, and websites are provided for those interested in finding out more about biological conservation issues, such as whaling in Antarctica. A call to action for fellow Wildlife Warriors, this light and fluffy tale in the Bindi Wildlife Adventures series might appeal to those who enjoy Ben Baglios Animal Ark and Dolphin Diaries books.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)