Informational Books- KAKAPO RESCUE by Sy Montgomery

Bibliographic Data

Kakapo Rescue : Saving the World's Strangest Parrot

by Sy Montgomery, photographs by Nic Bishop

Houghton Mifflin Books for Children ©2010
ISBN: 9780618494170

Brief Plot Summary

Kakapo rescue combines story and facts about the history of the once abundant kakapo and how it came to be so scarce. Humans brought them to endangerment and they can bring them back. The reader follows an intense, 10 day tour in New Zealand that is emotional and informative.

Critical Analysis

Kakapo Rescue is a children’s photo essay. The pages are large and glossy. Photography takes up about 50% of the book. The text is long and informative, not optimal for reading aloud cover to cover.

(Large and colorful photography)

Montgomery and Bishop build compassion for the kakapo and make the reader emotionally involved, typical of a photo essay. In this story we see many people make intense sacrifices for the birds, doing things like waiting in a campsite all night to cover a baby kakapo with a heating pad. At the conclusion of the book the reader is provided with information on how to take action, since we are so moved.

(A call to action)

Organized into named chapters this title lacks a table of contents. It reads like a story, but is sprinkled with facts. Readers can find an index at the end of the book.

(A mix of story and fact)

Accuracy is important for children’s informational books, but this title does not have citations within the text. This could be explained by Montgomery’s claim that much of the info was gathered first hand. There is a selected bibliography at the end of the book, but it appears to be intended to encourage additional reading more so than accrediting information.

(The selected bibliography)

Awards

Cybil Award, 2010 Finalist United States

Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children, 2011 Recommended United States

Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal, 2011 Winner United States

SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science, 2011 Finalist Middle Grades Science Books United States

Review Excerpt(s)

“As usual, Montgomery's delight in her subject is contagious, and throughout her enthusiastic text, she nimbly blends scientific and historical facts with immediate, sensory descriptions of fieldwork.” -Gillian Engberg (Booklist, Apr. 15, 2010 (Vol. 106, No. 16))

“Bishop's lushly beautiful photographs help readers explore the island's trees, ferns, and mosses as well as other birds and wildlife.” -Barbara L. Talcroft (Children's Literature)

“Describing triumph and tragedy, she movingly conveys the magic of the forest and of an accidental encounter with a parrot in the wild. As always, the photographer's remarkable and clearly reproduced photographs support and enhance the text.” -Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, April 1, 2010 (Vol. 78, No. 7))

Connections

Numerous printables from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt:
http://www.hmhbooks.com/kids/resources.html

Sy Montgomery’s activities for Kakapo Rescue via his website:

http://symontgomery.com/?page_id=27
Read selections from this title in a storytime about birds. Read other picture books like Bird Talk by Lita Judge or Little Bird Lost by Kate Larkinson. Conclude with a birdwatching activity in which children make their own binoculars and identify birds.