Emily, 10 Year Old Champion: Nonfiction Series

Author/photographer Cathleen Burnham is back with Book Four in the WAKA series of nonfiction picture books featuring young environmental activists. EMILY, 10 Year Old Champion of Rainforest Animals in Need is another story of young people making a difference.

Crickhollow Books, 2018

There is no doubt that young readers (or readers of any age) will be drawn to the cover image. Sloths are currently the IT animals of social media, and this baby sloth, hugging a stuffed animal and nestled in the arms of a young girl, is downright irresistible.

This is the fourth book in the WAKA series (World Association of Kids and Animals). All are authored by and feature photographs by Cathleen Burnham. Emily, a ten year old girl living in Costa Rica, volunteers for a local agency, Kids Saving the Rainforest. In this case Emily has written and presented a play for the public and joined a group saving titi monkeys (squirrel monkeys) by building overhead rope routes for the troops of monkeys who travel freely throughout the village and the surrounding forest. Without those passages and adaptations, the monkeys would be killed crossing streets with heavy auto traffic or crossing on electric wiring overhead. 
Photos of Emily include the cover above, collecting suitable leaves for animals in the sanctuary, and taking an abandoned baby sloth for a "walk" through the forest to sample edible leaves and develop survival skills for later release. 
The author and publisher (Crickhollow Books) have developed a format and narrative non-fiction style that is informative and inspiring, inviting readers to return again and again. The narrative and back page make it clear, by example and without preaching, that kids have the capacity to positively impact their environments and improve the lives of animals who share those spaces with humans. The photo captions, sidebars, specific events, and irresistible animals make the books prime examples of nonfiction content, offering ideal material for framing questions, summarizing, doing further research, and exploring local possibilities for kid-activist engagement.

You can read about the story-behind-the-story of how these books came about from the documentary photographer/author HERE.

I've shared my thoughts about the previous titles in prior posts.
Book One- DOYLI to the RESCUE (Here), 
Book Two- TORTUGA SQUAD (HERE), and 
Book Three- TONY and His ELEPHANTS (HERE)

This is a series that merits everyone's attention and should be on library and classroom shelves. Each title, including this latest, offers entertainment and information across many ages and will quickly become reader-favorites. 

Check out the books and related projects at WAKABooks.org. 
You can also explore the Costa Rican nonprofit organization that helps Emily and other kids become empowered to help the environment and animals: Kids Saving the Rainforest.  

I reviewed a publisher's copy and would like to share it. You can enter a giveaway by adding a comment about this or earlier WAKA/Burnham books in the series. Also,  in a separate comment, share some ways you might use this book with kids.  Each person commenting (from USA or Canada) will be entered in a random giveaway of a copy of the latest book, EMILY. Deadline for comments is Friday, October 5 at midnight, CDT. If your name is chose I'll contact you via email, and the winner's name will be  added to this post after the drawing. 

And the winner of the giveaway is ANNETTE! Thanks for reading and sharing the news about this great new book for kid-activists!

No Age Limit on Heroism: DOYLI TO THE RESCUE

I feel so blessed and secure in my life that I rarely find myself longing for additional funds. I do, though, wish I had the means to contribute more to the many worthy causes that my modest means allow me to support. As it is, I do my due-diligence and reassure myself that each and every dollar pledged will be put to maximum benefit for the intended recipients.

Crowd-funding of various projects and people has become commonplace. The result, in my opinion, is that appeals need to be scrutinized thoroughly before any of MY funds make their way into the hands of others. Vetting those appeals, even the most heart-tugging, can present serious challenges.

Crickhollow Books, April 22, 2015

I was both confident and excited to offer my small support to the recently successful Kickstarter publishing project,  DOYLI TO THE RESCUE: Saving Baby Monkeys in the Amazon, photos and text by Cathleen Burnham. 
The result...TA-DA!  
The book will release on EARTH DAY, APRIL 22, 2015. I received my own copy in advance to review.
Some background first. Cathleen Burnham is an experienced travel and wildlife photojournalist.This title is one of a six-book-series she's creating for the WORLD ASSOCIATION OF KIDS AND ANIMALS. 

On a family vacation to the Amazon and subsequent travels she became aware of the fragile state of many animal species and their habitats, often in areas with limited financial resources.  She encountered individual young people who are making small-scale but powerful contributions to protect some of those threatened species. The WAKA Books program is Burnham's effort to share their stories and inspire other young people around the world to seek and pursue their own projects to save our planet.
This excerpt from the author note in the back of the book describes her mission:

"This story is a seed. Maybe you and your friends and family can come up with 

something YOU can do, in a small way, to help protect other creatures 

who might need a helping hand."

My thoughts, now that I've examined the book closely:

DOYLI TO THE RESCUE: SAVING BABY MONKEYS IN THE AMAZON is a winner by any measure. The target audience is aptly described as fourth- and fifth-graders, who will find that the photos and text are not only accessible but intriguing and appealing. 

Doyli's smiling face will make her feel like a friend from the start. Her life is one that could appear alien and distant, but instead reveals relationships, activities, and interests that are both familiar and exciting.

Burnham's photos are highly professional but also have a candid quality that suggest a family photo album. Doyli's engagement in a wider community, including school, the marketplace, and interactions with various friends and relatives encourage high level discussions with readers to compare and contrast Doyli's life to their own. 

The WAKA site indicates teaching guides and other resources are in the offing, as are subsequent titles in this series. Guides aren't necessary to begin using this immediately. The book design offers every aspect of nonfiction reading described in the Common Core State Standards,including picture captions, maps, clearly labeled species, specific vocabulary  and back matter. 

This book will definitely jumpstart further research into global locations, biomes, endangered species, interventions, and local issues.

In my opinion this book will intrigue and interest readers of any age. I look forward to meeting the young heroes in titles yet to come.

Please share the info with friends who like positive, uplighting books for kids: 

Publisher page: http://www.crickhollowbooks.com/doyli-to-the-rescue

Amazon page: http://www.amazon.com/Doyli-Rescue-Saving-Monkeys-Amazon/dp/1933987227