Manatee Rescue

Reviewed by: Patricia Temple - Long Island Community Library, Long Island, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: March 8, 2016

Review

This title in the "Heroes of the Wild" series tells the story of a young girl, Manuela, and her cousin who nurse a baby manatee back to health and release it into its Amazon River habitat. The story begins with young Manuela canoe fishing with her father. Fish are scarce, but they eventually come upon a mother manatee and calf, a prize catch that will benefit the whole village. The experience changes Manuela's thinking about hunting for manatees and with the help of her cousin she is able to sway the attitudes of the village fishermen toward conserving manatees and managing their fishery. Based on a true story and peopled with an eccentric Grandmother, a supportive community and a truly unlikable villain, readers will want to spend more time in this village than the 100 pages the author uses to effectively draw us in. This is a heartwarming tale of friendship, with the perfect balance of emotion, suspense and education. This book as well as others in this series are a good choice for older reluctant readers. Readers from grade 3 and up who enjoy a well told story with environmental themes will enjoy this book and this series.

Overall Book Score: very good