Puffling Patrol

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Editorial Reviews

Children's Literature - Dawna Lisa Buchanan

Here is the story of twins, Dani and Erna, who, with the help of professionals and their neighbors, participate in an unusual (and annual) rescue. "Every April, the Westman Islands become home to hundreds of thousands of puffins, one of the largest puffin colonies in the world...But some pufflings on Heimaey, confused by the lights of the town, flutter down onto the streets instead of flying out to sea. Their wings are not strong enough for them to take off again from the flat surfaces of the streets. So when it starts ?raining pufflings' in town, it is time for the children of The Puffling Patrol to begin their rescue mission." The authors have created an informative and beautifully illustrated story describing the many scientists involved, how the rescues are managed, and lots of detailed information about puffins. This is a book for older readers or for reading aloud, as it has rich vocabulary and many references to scientific terms and Icelandic culture. The pictures are lush watercolors with pen and ink, sometimes sketched to create a mood and other times highly detailed to provide information about the birds or the environment. A map of the island serves as a preface to the story, and end pages include facts about puffins and their life cycle. There is also information about how the island itself was affected by a volcano in 1973. Notes include web sites and reference books for further reading, and a glossary and punctuation guide. Reviewer: Dawna Lisa Buchanan

School Library Journal

Gr 2–5—The Lewins are on the road again, this time traveling to the isolated island of Heimaey, just off the coast of Iceland, that is home to about 4300 people and one of the largest puffin populations in the world. They are here to chronicle the annual ritual of the rescue of young puffins that become disoriented during their maiden flight to sea and instead land in town, unable to escape without assistance. The first third of the book offers good background information, but reads like an adult travelogue: "From our airplane window we see the mist-shrouded Westman Islands…." The child-centered drama kicks in when the text turns its focus on eight-year-old twins Dáni and Erna, part of the puffling patrol that rescues the young birds and then releases them. Ted Lewin is a master at depicting light and shadow, and his majestic watercolor paintings effectively display the windswept vistas in cool blues and greens and indoor and nighttime scenes in warmer tones. His concluding sequence of spreads of the pufflings' successful release is breathtaking. These larger vistas work harmoniously with Betsy Lewin's more informal, loosely composed pen-and-ink field sketches that fluidly capture the antics of the comical seabirds. Handsomely designed, this inherently engaging story sends an important message about the difference the island children make in helping save just one precious puffling. It covers the same rescue introduced in Bruce McMillan's appealing Nights of the Pufflings (Houghton, 1995), with more background information on the island, its volcanic activity, and the current plight of the pufflings (there has been a decrease in sand eels, their main source of food). A comprehensive glossary and pronunciation guide to the Icelandic words round out a handsome package.—Caroline Ward, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT

Kirkus Reviews

The intrepid husband-and-wife team's latest travels take them to Iceland to report on the plight of puffins. With their usual skilled attention to detail and empathy for animal life, the Lewins take readers to the island of Heimaey off the southern coast of Iceland. There, they recount the annual rescue of baby puffins by children of the Puffling Patrol. The young birds are often confused by street lights in the small town and must be rescued and returned to the shore. Focusing on brother-and-sister twins in one Icelandic family, the Lewins provide fascinating information on the adorable birds and the special attention they receive. Whether sheltered in a box or held carefully in the children's hands, the pufflings are irresistible. The lush watercolor paintings and detailed pen-and-ink sketches draw readers into this remote land and provide many charming close-up views of the colorful seabirds. Like animal life all over, puffins are threatened by global warming, and fewer and fewer numbers are recorded each year, making the twins' efforts feel all the more urgent. The Lewins have previously visited and written about elephants in Botswana and India, gorillas in Uganda and horses in Mongolia; this latest travelogue is as informative and attractive. Bird and animal lovers will enjoy this journey to a remote but welcoming locale. (additional information, resources, glossary and pronunciation guide) (Informational picture book. 6-10)

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781600604249
Publisher: Lee & Low Books, Inc.
Publication date: 3/1/2012
Pages: 32
Sales rank: 773,120
Age range: 6 - 11 Years
Lexile: 910L (what's this?)
Product dimensions: 9.40 (w) x 11.20 (h) x 0.40 (d)

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