Raccoon Rescue

December 1, 2018

Gr 2-4-This newest addition to the series follows a litter of raccoons through their time at WildCare, a wildlife sanctuary in San Rafael, CA. Written from the vibrant perspective of "Mr. Green," one of the kits, the story takes readers through the first several months of the raccoons' lives, framed by the four steps of reintroducing a wild animal to its habitat: rescue, recovery, rehabilitation, and release. Animal-loving readers will be fascinated by the details of looking after infant raccoons, complete with plenty of photos of volunteers caring for the kits-first by bottle-feeding them, then by taking a step back and helping them get ready for life outdoors. Through Mr. Green's eyes, Einhorn explains how human activity has forced raccoons to become resourceful about coexisting with people and presents a sympathetic view of a creature often regarded as a pest. Back matter includes interviews with the volunteers primarily responsible for this litter's rehabilitation, tips for protecting urban wildlife, and a glossary of terms. VERDICT Newly independent readers with a preference for nonfiction will be satisfied by this lively animal-rescue tale.-Katherine Barr, Cameron Village Regional Library, Raleigh, NC

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2019
Grades 3-5 Books in the True Tales of Rescue series (2 new titles), though based on actual animals, are fictionalized in terms of what happened to which animal, when, and where. The main narratives are written in first person from the animals' point of view, with human conversations reconstructed from memory. The books feature wild creatures unlikely to survive on their own, the caregivers' experiences in helping them, and how they prepared the animals for their return to the wild. Raccoon Rescue records the story of four baby raccoons rescued from their attic nest after their mother did not return. Shelly, a wildlife sanctuary volunteer, took the two-week-old pups home, cared for them as they grew, trained them for independence, and released them on a mountainside. Many color photos appear throughout the books, though their quality in Anteater Adventure is uneven. The illustrations in Raccoon Rescue, however, are quite effective and more professional in terms of clarity, lighting, and framing. With appealing topics and attractive cover photos, these animal rescue books will find their audience.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2019
The rescue stories of four orphaned raccoon kits and an injured anteater pup are used to spotlight the work of two animal sanctuaries in these series entries. Accessible text, engaging photographs, and frequent informational sidebars allow readers to shadow the volunteer caregivers as they work toward the ultimate goal: releasing the animals back into the wild. One of the young creatures "narrates" part of each book. Bib., glos., ind.

(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)