Gr. 6^-10. The subject of biodiversity is as big as nature. It's about everything, or at least about the connections between everything. Only by focusing on particulars is it at all possible to explain some of the issues and processes. Patent uses lots of examples--of various habitats and ecosystems and keystone species--but nothing is discussed in depth, and the generalizations seem random. Many paragraphs could be in any chapter. The same thing applies to the glorious color photographs: it is not always clear how they relate to the pages they are on. It's those photographs, however, that will draw readers to the subject. This is a book for browsing, with an alluring cover, a handsome, spacious design, and a crucial message.
Hazel Rochman
-- Dieser Text bezieht sich auf eine vergriffene oder nicht verfügbare Ausgabe dieses Titels.
From Kirkus Reviews
Patent (Children Save the Rain Forest, p. 903, etc.) stresses the importance of protecting the planet's rich gene pool for the survival of all species, and makes clear that seemingly insignificant species may provide medicines and products of great usefulness. With plants and animals in tropical Costa Rica and the more temperate US as models, Patent demonstrates how life forms evolve, adapt, and become extinct. She describes the natural forces of evolution and the threat posed by people. Readers learn of the private and public efforts to catalog and conserve plants and animals, e.g., Costa Rica's National Institute of Biodiversity, a government program that trains local people to collect and categorize specimens. Although Patent mentions the government agreements with drug companies that encourage exploration in exchange for a percentage of the profit when useful substances are identified, there is no discussion of the ethical considerations. The many handsome, full-color photographs are not always well placed and sometimes are only marginally related to the text. Still, this is an attractive and personal discussion of an important issue. (glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 10-12) --
Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
-- Dieser Text bezieht sich auf eine vergriffene oder nicht verfügbare Ausgabe dieses Titels.