Gr. 3^-6. Written in the first person, this illustrated book tells of Kress' determination to reintroduce puffins to Eastern Egg Rock, an island off the Maine coast. Explaining that the large bird colonies in the area had been decimated by hunters in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries, Kress describes Project Puffin, which began in 1973, when he and his team of "Puffineers" moved a few puffin chicks from Newfoundland to Eastern Egg Rock. After a number of years, the puffins raised in their new home began returning there to raise their young, effectively establishing the colony destroyed so many years before. Excellent full-color photographs on every page record the stages in the project, the sights on the island, and the lives of the birds. A good introduction to wildlife management and an informative look at puffins, this book would be even more useful for classroom units in conjunction with
Giving Back the Earth by Pete Salmansohn (0-88448-172-7), $9.95, a teacher's guide intended to supplement
Project Puffin in particular and other seabird studies in general. A worthwhile addition to nature collections.
Carolyn Phelan
Review
"Los Angeles' 100 Best Books" --
IRA Children's Literature and Reading SIG and the Los Angeles Unified School District, 1997"What a great story about a person doing something to help our fellow creatures. Welcome back, puffins!" --
Martin Kratt, Kratts' Creatures, 3/97"colorful paperback book for grades 3-6...story of a wildlife success...about the puffin and its ecosystem. --
Clearing:Environmental Education Resources For Teachers, Spring 2003
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.