Linda Kenyon,
Rainforest Bird Rescue(Firefly Animal Rescue Series)
Firefly Books, 2006

Rating: E

The Firefly Animal Rescue Series are stellar in their ability to drive home a point to young readers. The language is easy to understand and explanations are always provided. Undoubtedly, the marvelous photographs complement the "to the point" narratives. Linda Kenyon’s passion is evident throughout this book as she describes the "heroes" of the rainforest birds.

The introduction, titled "A Shrinking Paradise" declares that "Rainforests are a paradise for birds" and this statement forms the foundation for the entire book. The threat to the birds is the loss of their habitat. The statistics are alarming:

-More than a hundred bird species have become extinct.

-Tropical rainforests covered 12% of the earth and now it is reduced by half.

Students will appreciate the easy to understand world map that simply shows where the temperate and tropical rainforests exist. As well, the outline of what has happened with birds and their habitat carefully highlights the positive and negative facts of the situation. For instance, in 1975 18 countries agree to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITIES) but in 2002 Brazil loses 9,840 square miles of its Amazon rainforest. The challenge is immediately apparent and the remainder of the book delves into a portrait of some of the birds themselves and the individuals and organizations that are trying to protect them from extinction.

The book is organized in various sections that are titled, "On the Frontlines" and "At Work". These sections serve to remind the reader about what is being done to counteract the problems. For instance the chapter "Victims of Fashion" and "How Much is That Parrot in the Window" explore the exploitation of birds while the "at Work" section describes the work of people who adopt macaws and breed them so that they can be introduced back into the wild. With every problem the book illustrates a solution.

When I read the book to my children they were awed by the photographs of the birds and inspired by the people who are devoting their lives to make a difference. Although they might not completely understand the reasons for trying to save the birds from extinction they at least have an appreciation that people are trying to help the rainforest birds.

The book is successful in its ability to provide short, easy to read snippets of what the world is doing to protect rainforest birds. The book would be a definite strength to any school or public library collection.

Thematic Links: Nature; Environmental Conservation & Protection; Birds; Rainforest; Endangered Species; Wildlife Conservation

Maria Forte
Vol. 12, number 2
December 2006

*Rating System:
E - Excellent, enduring, everyone should see it!
G - Good, even great at times, generally useful!
A - Average, all right, has its applications.
P - Problematic, puzzling, poorly presented.