Bibliographical citation: Montgomery, S.; with photographs by Nic Bishop. (2010). Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World's Strangest Parrot. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children. 74 pages. ISBN: 9780618494170.
Awards: ALA Notable Children's Books (2011), Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal (2011).
Author's website: http://symontgomery.com/, http://nicbishop.com/
Annotation: This book document the history and current crisis of a New Zealand bird on the verge of extinction, the Kakapo Parrot. Text and beautiful photographs illustrate the efforts of the Kakapo Rescue Team to saving this beautiful and unique bird.
Personal Reaction: After reading this book, I have to say that the title is completely appropriate. Once again, the Scientists in the Field series has knocked me over with its excellence. I learned so much about this very unique and definitely strange parrot that lives on an island off the coast of New Zealand. Upon looking at the cover, I had an idea in my mind that this bird was a small one, about the size of a parakeet, especially since it kind of looks like one. Once I began reading, however, I realized that I couldn't be farther off the mark. This story of the history of the Kakapo and its danger of current extinction is both sad and hopeful. Montgomery shares the history leading up to its almost extinction which has been caused by people eating the Kakapo, as well as people bringing new predators into the Kakapo's environment. Since these birds walk and cannot fly, they easily became prey to such animals not native to their home that came along from ships that carried people to the Kakapo's islands, such as rats, cats, and other such dangers. Kakapo's also do not reproduce on any regular basis, making it difficult for their numbers to increase. Montgomery also documents the previous unsuccessful attempts by Richard Henry at saving this bird.
The Kakapo rescue group volunteers are certainly dedicated individuals who are working hard to ensure survival of this species. I could just imagine the women mentioned in the story huddling in their tents in the middle of the night waiting for Lisa to leave her nest so that they could weigh and check in on her chick. Imagine their disappointment when, several days later, the chick doesn't survive. Since the author followed individual parrots and gave readers each parrot's history and current situation, the narrative enabled me to really feel connected with the story. I would believe that this would also engage readers of the book's targeted age group. The photographs that accompany this text are excellent in showing the habitat, eating and mating habits of this special bird, as well as the devotion and commitment of the Kakapo rescue group. I was glad to learn about this beautiful and unique bird. I hope that this group is able to increase their number, since at the time this book was printed, there were currently only 91 Kakapo's on earth. The author provides a website at the back of the book which enables readers to get an update on the Kakapo. The website is www.kakaporecovery.org.nz. The last update is from March 5, 2012, which states that as of that date, there are currently 126 Kakapo on earth. This number has increased since the publishing of this book, however, it is a constant battle against extinction.
Front/Back Matter: Basic map of New Zealand/Islands (Location of study), Help Save the Kakapo, Acknowledgements, Selected Bibliography, Index.
*Bibliographical citation information, award information, as well as image retrieved from www.bwibooks.com (Titletales).
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