Zoo Scientists to the Rescue by Patricia Newman –ESSENTIAL

Newman, Patricia Zoo Scientists to the Rescue 64 pgs. Millbrook (Lerner), 2017.  $20.

This book highlights three zoo scientists who are making a difference in the world. Meredith Bastian studied wild orangutans and fights to conserve their natural habitat. Jeff Baughman is helping to rebuild the population of Black Footed Ferrets into their own natural habitat . Rachel Santymire studies wild and zoo rhino poop to help with breeding programs. The book has an overall feel of preservation of wild species and habitats while using the zoo as a forum for educating the public and a place of study rather than show. The images are bright and the layouts are interesting.

I haven’t been a fan a zoo’s for a long time, in fact the local zoo gave me nightmares as a child and I can still see the sad dead eyes of those miserable creatures in their lonely enclosures. This book gives me hope that zoo’s like that are a thing of the past and that many zoo’s are focused on study, education, and most importantly a heavy dose of protection and promotion for preserving wild habitats and populations. Upper elementary students will be fascinating by the stories in this book and a teacher could use them for a read-a-loud. The pages are large enough to share the images with a group. I learned quite a bit from reading this book and thinks its one of the best books I have reviewed this year. It felt more accessible than the Scientists in the Field series to me.

EL -ESSENTIAL.  Stephanie Elementary School Librarian & Author