Review by Booklist Review
Baby rhinos may be cute, but what would it be like to actually have one in your house? Anna Merz, a conservationist living in Kenya, found out firsthand, and Kirk relates her story in this informational picture book. After establishing a wildlife preserve in Lewa Downs, Anna discovered a sick young rhino. After nursing it back to health, the rhino, named Samia, followed Anna around like a puppy. Samia eventually reunited with her herd, but while she was young and small enough she often lived in Anna's house. Kids will be especially delighted by the challenges of having a rhino indoors: Samia once got lodged in a doorway, and Anna had to grease her with cooking oil to set her free! Kirk's full-color, playful illustrations render the amiable rhino with cute features, and the savannah scenes are rich with lively detail. An author's note offers more information about the life and work of Merz, who died in 2013, as well as his experiences visiting Lewa Downs. A playful glimpse into the life of a conservationist.--Hunter, Sarah Copyright 2017 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Kirk (the Library Mouse series) unspools the heartwarming true story of how one conservationist rescued and reared an abandoned rhinoceros calf at a wildlife sanctuary in Kenya in 1985. Digitally colored pencil drawings depict the relationship that grows between sanctuary founder Anna Merz and the rhino she names Samia. Against pastel-hued backgrounds, Kirk presents scenes of the two bonding, as when Anna reads to Samia to calm her down and takes her for long walks: "As she grew bigger, Samia would often be the leader, offering her tail for Anna to hold." Soft graphite lines and shading set a peaceful tone, the upturned edges of various animals' mouths almost seeming to smile. Throughout, Kirk highlights the humorous side of welcoming a wild creature in the house (at one point, Anna uses cooking oil to free a stuck Samia from a doorway). An author's note mentions that Anna died in 2013, though Samia's earlier accidental death isn't discussed. This story of a loving friendship between human and wild animal should spark curiosity in conservation efforts for endangered species. Ages 4-8. Agent: Barry Goldblatt, Barry Goldblatt Literary. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-Anna Merz, the founder of a rhinoceros sanctuary in Kenya, finds and raises a frail black rhino calf she names Samia. This straightforward description of a wild animal's rescue stands out for the specificity of its setting, made clear to young readers with maps of the world and of Africa with all its countries. An inset pinpoints the location of Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, Samia's home. The digitally added color in Kirk's illustrations, created with graphite pencil, is particularly effective on the endpaper scenes showing the rolling savanna of the sanctuary in daytime and twilight. The rhino looks almost cuddly at first in these softly rounded images; her growth is charted effectively over the course of the narrative. One striking spread depicts Samia, nearly full-grown but still thinking she could wander into the house at will, wedged in a doorway. At the beginning and end, Merz is seen reading to her rhino friend: "She found that reading to the little animal calmed her down." In an afterword, the author/illustrator describes how his curiosity about Merz and Samia was raised by reading Merz's obituary. Kirk's research included a trip to the Lewa sanctuary. VERDICT A pleasant addition to storytimes about animal rescue and rehabilitation.-Kathleen Isaacs, Children's Literature Specialist, Pasadena, MD © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Anna Merz was determined to protect endangered animals in East Africa. Poachers were killing rhinos for their horns, and Anna Merz, a white woman at the end of a career in wildlife conservation, decided to do something about it. She started a sanctuary in Kenya on thousands of acres of land called Lewa Downs, on the northern slope of Mount Kenya. Kirk humanizes (rhino-izes?) Anna's story by focusing on one rhinoceros calf Anna named Samia. Anna reads aloud to Samia, feeds her a special formula, gives her free run of her house, and even learns to interpret some of Samia's vocalizations. Knowing that Samia needs to learn to be free and able to survive in the wild, Anna finds a patron and creates the Ngare Sergoi Rhino Sanctuary. Somehow, Kirk imbues Samia with personality without too much anthropomorphizing, and though Anna saves her, Samia saves the story, offering great appeal for young readers and moving the lively narrative along with her antics. As well-rounded a character as Samia is and as heroic as Anna Merz seems, however, no black Africans are included in the story, a void given the Kenya setting. The only other person included is David Craig (in the author's note), the white owner of the 45,000-acre cattle ranch and donor of land for the wildlife sanctuary. A solid introduction to wildlife conservation, but it misses the mark in providing a full context for the story. (Informational picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
