by Sneed B. Collard III
Houghton Mifflin Company, 2005
Genre: Conservation, Non-fiction
Honors:
- ALA Notable Children's Books 2006
- ASPCA Henry Bergh Children's Book Award 2005
- Book Links 03/01/08
- Book Links starred 09/01/05
- Booklist starred 06/01/05
- Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books 07/01/05
- Horn Book 07/01/05
- Horn Book starred 07/01/05
- Kirkus Reviews 05/01/05
- School Library Journal starred 08/01/05
- Wilson's Junior High School 01/09/10
Review: Sneed Collard's photographs are captivating, bringing home the vast amount of work that goes into prairie restoration. As Collard explains, reconstructing a devastated eco-system is experimental, as scientists are still learning about what makes a system like a prairie or a river or a forest work in such harmony and keep it thriving over the years. He documents with interviews and photographs the work of several participants in the project and their years of attempts to re-grow native plants, encouraging native species to return to a prairie land that had been nearly decimated by agriculture practices in Iowa, noting some of the successes and setbacks that motivated their continued research and efforts.
Opinion: It is very exciting to see non-fiction written for children and young adults that delves into research and efforts made toward conservation and eco-system restoration. Youth can benefit greatly from non-fiction that aims to help them be more aware of the impact different behaviors and practices have on biodiversity and the lives of other species around them. A great book introducing an important part of environmental science studies.
Ideas: This is another great book to present in a lecture about conducting research and using reference points in non-fiction. There are some useful web sites and books recommended in the back of this book, along with a thorough glossary and index.
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