Horn Book (Thu Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2013)

Presenting the idea that some animals shouldn't be pets, this purposeful book provides brief stories of several exotic or farm animals (e.g., tigers, lynx, pig) that have been abused, injured, or abandoned and are now cared for by sanctuaries. Informative full-bleed color photos are engaging, but the text placement is awkward and sometimes overwhelming, detracting from the illustrations' effectiveness.

Kirkus Reviews

What happens to a wild animal too badly injured or too acclimated to humans to be returned to the wild? Using examples from six animal-rescue organizations across the country, Curtis describes what wild-animal sanctuaries do. Short informational paragraphs are set on full-bleed, double-page photographs of animals being cared for. The account begins with a series of portraits of shelter animals: several tigers, a binturong, a declawed Canadian lynx, a pair of blind bobcats and a bear. The author goes on to describe animal medical and dental treatments, training and enrichment. More than half the photographs relate to captive tigers, but other animals, even an overgrown farm pig, appear. A final page shows volunteers moving an animal into a shelter. There is no real narrative arc, nor any direct suggestion that readers could be involved in this work. Only in the four pages of backmatter--a quiz, a map, further information and thumbnail behind-the-scenes pictures--are readers invited to connect, through questions about where they live and what they like to do. Part of an ongoing series about animal care that began with Wildlife Rehabilitators (2012), this title fills a niche but doesn't excite. (Informational picture book. 4-8)

ALA Booklist (Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 CDT 2012)

It doesn't take long for kids to notice hurt or dead animals on the road or in the park. This photo-heavy book provides proof that some wild animals are lucky enough to be nursed back to health. From the tiny, eyeless baby opossums swaddled in a towel to a squirrel with a cast on its leg(!), readers are treated to huge, often two-page photos of animals being fed, sheltered, and rescued. The text basically follows the photos: "Beak-like tweezers are used to feed half of a blueberry to this fledgling catbird." The range of animals ccoon, mourning dove, bobcat, osprey, and much more impressive. On the other hand, the variety is so wide and the situations so varied that the book could have benefited from some sort of organization. Still, the pictures say a lot, showing the modified shelters of opossums (a tissue box), fawns (a playpen), and a bunny (a cardboard box), and offering other rare glimpses, like a bald eagle undergoing surgery. Busy back matter including several quizzes concludes.