on The School Library Journal's Best Books 2008 List

on The Pennsylvania School Librarians Association Ya Top Forty List For 2008

2009 Silver Birch Nominee

good Zoos! Bad Zoos!!

a Large Family Of Elephants Ambles All Day Along A Well-remembered Route Across The Hot African Savanna. Halfway Around The World In A Zoo In Alaska, A Single Female Elephant Paces Back And Forth In Her Cramped, Concrete Pen. During The Sub-arctic Winter, She Lives Alone In A Dark Barn.

as It Plods Great Distances Across The Ice In The Canadian Arctic, A Polar Bear Continually Sniffs The Wind, Closing In On A Ringed Seal. In A Zoo In Jakarta, Another Polar Bear Lies Motionless On The Concrete Floor Of Its Enclosure, Panting In The Tropical Heat. Its Fur Has Turned Green From The Algae Growing Inside Its Hollow Guard Hairs.

these Scenes Are At The Heart Of Wild Animals In Captivity - A Book That Focuses On Wild Animals Living In Captivity Around The World. Captive Animals Become Stressed When They Try To Act Naturally, But Can't, The Author Writes. In Many Zoos, You'll See Them Pacing, Weaving, Or Sitting Motionless. This Is The Animal's Way Of Telling Us That It's Bored And Unhappy. Wild Animals Need A Rich And Varied Environment-things To Do, Space To Roam, Social Groups, Families To Care For.

this Is An Eye-opening Look At The Lives Of Captive Wild Animals-at Bad Zoos, Good Zoos, And The Best Wild Animal Sanctuaries.

gr 5-8- Laidlaw Presents A Passionate, Well-written, And Well-researched Argument Against The Practices Of Most Zoos Around The World. He Describes The Damage Done When Animals Are Unnaturally Confined And Moved To Inhospitable Climates, And Compares The Wild And Captive Lives Of Polar Bears, Orcas, Elephants, And Great Apes-the Four Species Most Harmed By Captivity. The Author Looks At Various Types Of Confinements, From Roadside Zoos To Wild-animal Parks To Large Public Zoos, And Gives Readers Several Sets Of Questions And Checklists For Evaluating The Fair Treatment Of Animals In Zoos That They Visit. In The End, Laidlaw Advocates Replacing Zoos With Wildlife Sanctuaries And Conservation Centers, In Which The Needs Of Animals Are Placed Before The Entertainment And Edification Of Human Visitors. This Is Not A Balanced Report. Laidlaw Clearly Hopes To Raise The Consciousness Of A Generation. Despite The Careful Selection Of Photos That Do Not Show Active Torture Of Animals, The Book Is Heartbreaking. Sensitive Children Will Be Deeply Disturbed As They Read Of The Electric Shocks That Animals Receive If They Touch The Real Trees In Natural Exhibit Areas And The Fate Of Overbred Lions And Tigers. This Title Is Likely To Be Controversial. It Does Not Excuse The Practices Of Our Most Hallowed Zoos, And It Criticizes The Standards Of The U.s. Association Of Zoos And Aquariums. The Issues Raised In This Important And Powerful Book Will Resonate With Young And Old.-ellen Heath, Easton Area Public Library, Easton, Pa

Categories:

• Children's Books
  • Animals