Rating: Additional
Greenwillow, 2010, $17.99
ISBN: 9780061772023
Age/Grade Level: Ages 8 and up
Saving the Baghdad Zoo is a nonfiction account of the almost complete destruction and subsequent rebuilding of the Baghdad Zoo during the war in Iraq. It's written largely from the perspective of Major William Sumner, a U.S. soldier serving in Iraq during the war. He was sent to investigate the conditions of the zoo after it had been virtually abandoned during the conflict. The book is immensely interesting, discussing a topic that we rarely hear about in the news. There is a lot of information about the animals and wonderful photographs throughout, which help convey the immensity of the challenges they faced. This book also shows how saving the Zoo became a uniting force for Iraqis and Americans both working toward the same goal. So while the story is a winner, the writing itself is a little scattered. There is not a whole lot of cohesion between chapters. Some of the more contentious aspects of the story, including the death of one of the tigers by an American soldier, are only touched on briefly. And there are a lot of sidebars and lengthy captions that make the layout crowded and unappealing. Overall, it's an interesting book and would attract readers. But because it's not a topic in high demand, it would probably work best in large library collections.
Reviewer: Sarah Stimson, OCPL/Irvine University Park
