  | Full Text Reviews: School Library Journal - 03/01/2017 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 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Loading...
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