Saving Animals from Oil Spills

Featuring colorful, visually packed pages and readable prose, this title in the Rescuing Animals from Disasters series offers an accessible introduction to the impact of oil spills on a variety of creatures. Opening with a pelican rescue off Louisiana’s coast, the spreads move on to an explanation of the Deepwater Horizon disaster, including a mention of its human toll. Later sections delve further into how oil spills specifically imperil wildlife, along with the processes and materials used for cleaning them. Accounts of animal rescues, rescue workers, and caregivers help personalize the subject, while a discussion of the 1989 Exxon Valdez incident in Alaska further illustrates oil spills’ long-term effects on food chains. Throughout, basic concepts are well conveyed, and inset text adds additional, useful commentary on each page. The abundant photos include some hard-hitting images, such as views of oil-soaked animals and a dead dolphin, but there are also plenty of photos of animal survivors and their rescuers. A glossary, bibliography, and suggestions for further reading are appended.