Animal Rescue Team Collection, Vol. 1

Gr 3—5—These gentle, episodic stories by Sue Stauffacher (Knopf, 2010) will appeal to animal lovers and children who prefer mild, family-oriented fiction. Facts about animals both wild and domesticated are a natural part of the text, as ten-year-old Keisha and her diverse group of friends help Keisha's father, a professional animal handler, catch a young alligator, feed a baby crow, and restore a pet skunk to its owner. Harlie Vaughn's measured narration and youthful voice matches the calm tone of the stories. Unfortunately, she resorts to vocal stereotypes when reading some dialogue: Keisha's grandmother has the high, scratchy voice of an extremely old lady, and her friend Jorge sports a thick, Cuban-like accent. A good choice for graduates of series such as Big Apple Farm and Breyer Stablemates by Kristin Earhart.—Paula Willey, Baltimore County Public Library, MD