Saving Birds: Heroes Around the World [Paperback]

Pete Salmansohn (Author), Stephen W. Kress (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 2005 | Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

There are many kinds of heroes in our world. In six multicolor, multicultural stories we’ll learn about grownups and young people fighting against the odds to save wild birds--and about the birds themselves, some on the brink of extinction.

Puppet shows are part of a Protection Through Pride program educating the indigenous people of the cloud forests of Chiapas, Mexico, so that they’ll join efforts to stop the habitat destruction and poaching threatening the colorful quetzals that share their forests. On Devil’s Slide Rock off the coast off California, we’ll watch young scientists brave the crashing surf and steep cliffs to restore a colony murres wiped out in an oil spill. Despite the tensions of war in Israel, work continues to keep a handsome falcon from disappearing, and in the vast and rural wetlands of southcentral China, we’ll see how the fates of black-necked cranes and impoverished villagers are tied together. Herculean efforts in New Zealand have helped save the black robin, once the world’s rarest songbird, and we’ll learn how an international team from the American zoos and oreganizations in Sarawak has come up with a surprising plan to save jungle hornbills from being hunted for their feathers.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8-From Mexico to Malaysia, concerned scientists and natural refuge workers are trying to save birds whose habitats have been altered by farming, logging, oil spills, hunting, or the use of pesticides. This title details the work and efforts of six teams to save as many species. In the case of the quetzal in Mexico and the black-necked crane in China, appeals were made to the native populations about the role of the birds in their history and the need to protect them. After a shipping oil spill killed a colony of common murres at Devil's Slide Rock in California, the settlement money awarded was used to establish a decoy colony to attract breeding murres. Glorious, color photos illustrate the often-difficult-to-reach habitats of some of the birds, such as the black robins of New Zealand; the cooperation of Palestinian and Israeli youth as together they built nesting boxes for the lesser kestrels; and the use of turkey feathers for ceremonial dances on Sarawak. Address and Web-site information is provided for each of the projects described. This slim book packs in lots of information and presents it in a conversational style. It's sure to increase awareness of environmental and human factors that affect all creatures.
Pam Spencer Holley, Young Adult Literature Specialist, Virginia Beach, VA
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Gr. 4-7. Under the auspices of the Audubon Society, the authors of Project Puffin (1997) offer further examples of efforts to bring avian species back from the brink of extinction. They recount efforts to aid common murres, the Mexican quetzal, Israeli kestrels, black cranes, Malaysian hornbills, and black robins. For each species they discuss how the bird became endangered and the methods employed to help the creatures survive, ranging from removing eggs from murres and kestrels for incubation elsewhere and convincing humans not to kill hornbills to protecting the habitats of cranes and quetzals. Striking, full-color photographs accompany each section, depicting the birds in their natural habitats and the humans intervening on their behalf. Appended contact information for each project will be welcomed by children concerned about the future of world wildlife. Kay Weisman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Paperback: 39 pages
• Publisher: Tilbury House Publishers (September 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0884482766
• ISBN-13: 978-0884482765
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 8.7 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,854,077 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!!, April 9, 2003

By 

Regan Clover (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Saving Birds: Heroes Around the World (Hardcover)

If you've ever thought that an endangered species was impossible to save, this book will prove you wrong. Saving Birds is a wonderful book, not only for children, but also for ADULTS. How inspiring to read about such motivated individuals and their creative ways to save endangered birds! Every story takes place in a different country around the world giving us a geography lesson on every page. I hope this book gets passed along not only to bird lovers, but to all nature lovers, and world explorers.

5.0 out of 5 stars Science and world cultures in one book, February 12, 2011

By 

Pamela S. "I Read. Do You?" (Pacific Northwest, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Saving Birds: Heroes Around the World (Paperback)

Travel to New Zealand, Mexico, China and more on a journey to witness people saving endangered birds using very creative ideas. This book is interesting as a science book, as well as a geography book that can introduce kids to several world cultures. Kids will appreciate the lovely pictures of some of the world's most beautiful birds and parents will appreciate the very creative ways scientists have worked with local people to save endangered birds. For example, in Malaysia the feathers of the Hornbills are prized as adornments in traditional dances and ceremonies. A scientist studying the population decline of Hornbills came up with a unique solution for the villagers by substituting turkey feathers imported from Arizona. The scientist also arranged for U.S. zoos to send to Malaysia the discarded hornbill feathers from their exhibits for ceremonies requiring true hornbill feathers. The "Teachers Take Note" info found on the Tilbury House Publishers webpage for this book includes internet links to Audubon Society and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology as well as numerous prompts for researching various causes of extinction. I received this title complimentary from Tilbury House Publishers in exchange for an honest review, but the opinion is all mine.