From School Library Journal
Grade 3-5?In chronicling the assisted return of the golden lion tamarin to its natural home in the rain forests of Brazil, Ancona has captured both the playfulness of this colorful monkey and the dedication of the people working to save it. Through closeup full-color photographs and a clear, absorbing, fact-filled text, readers see why the animals came close to extinction, how scientists in zoos around the world prepare them for life in the wild, and how they are being reintroduced to a protected habitat, the Poco das Antas Biological Reserve. A fascinating look at one of many worthwhile conservation efforts.?Kathleen McCabe, East Meadow Public Library, NY
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Gr. 3-5. When he took Curious George to the zoo in the 1940s, the Man with the Yellow Hat he was a hero. But now the real heroes are the biologists who return monkeys to the forest. Since 1983, the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., has prepared captive-born tamarins, small Brazilian monkeys, for reintroduction to the wild. Ancona walks the reader through the zoo's program, teaching about the animal itself, the disastrous consequences of human's plundering of the rain forest, and the fascinating steps biologists must take to retrain the tamarins for survival in the wild. After a sheltered life in the zoo, the tamarins must learn how to prepare for the unexpected, forage for food (beginning with peeling their own bananas), and avoid predators. Although the text seems a bit scattered in focus, the photographs are outstanding, with plentiful shots of both the tamarins and the team of biologists at work. Many nature books sound the alarm about the depletion and extinction of the rain forest, but this title also shows the possibility of redemption through awareness and hard work. Julie Walton
