Chimpanzee Rescue

Review By CAROLYN M. MULLIN

I love children’s books that even I can learn from and Chimpanzee Rescue by Patricia Bow delivers and then some. Who knew there were four subspecies of chimpanzees, based on their location in Africa (eastern, central, western, and Nigeria/Cameroon)? Or that they have a red-blue-green color vision? In addition to these informative facts, Ms. Bow also presents the bleak plight facing our next of kin.

As flesh in the bushmeat trade, slaves in circuses and entertainment, and subjects in biomedical research – among other fields and industries – it’s no wonder that there are less than 200,000 chimps now living in the wild. Habitat destruction plays a big role in their demise as well. Ms. Bow depicts real life, homegrown efforts from sanctuaries (this is one of my favorites), scientists and nonprofits seeking to right these wrongs. Realized actions include re-foresting corridors so that chimps can migrate from one parcel of land to another.

There’s a little slice of hope in this book, but more importantly it serves as an eye opener for kids new to these vastly important animal rights issues.

Ages 9 -12.