Everyone knows that twelve-year-old Madison “Madi” Lewis is not allowed to bring home any more animals. After she’s saved hairless mice, two birds, a rabbit, and a stray tom cat that ended up destroying the front porch, Madi’s parents decide that if they find one more stray animal in the house, she won’t be allowed to meet Jane Goodall at an upcoming gala event.
But when Madi and her two best friends, Aaron and Jack, rescue two beaver kits whose mother was killed, they find themselves at the center of a local conspiracy that’s putting the beavers and their habitats in danger. As Madi and her friends race to uncover the threat targeting the beavers, Madi must put her animal whisperer skills to the test in both raising the orphaned beaver kits and staying out of trouble long enough.
“The least I can do is speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves.” – Jane Goodall
Full disclosure, this is not a big mystery story like I initially thought. It’s more about Madi taking care of the beaver kits and finding a way to stop the beavers from damming up drainage culverts and causing roads and fields to flood over.
This was a quick read, and I enjoyed it so much. I loved learning about how clever beavers are and about rehabilitating animals. I love beavers! I love them so much that they are one of the ten animals I featured in my fourth book “Backyard Jungle: The Adventures of Maddie and Albert.” Like Madi, I could go on and on about how amazing beavers are.
Madi takes pretty good care of the beaver kits considering the fact that she’s only twelve and was taught by her wildlife rehabilitator grandmother. There’s also the fact that beavers are probably one of the most challenging animals to take care of. Their instinct to chew and build dams with any materials they can get their little hands on can quickly get out of hand. If you want to learn just how difficult it is to take care of a beaver, click on the YouTube link below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jjIbHzJwAE
Beavers do indeed alter the environment around them with their tree chomping and dam building. But you can argue that humans do the same thing, and our altering is much more damaging to the environment. And just look at the face.
How could you not want to protect them?
I recommend this book to fans of animals, animal rehabilitation, and environmental justice stories. Be sure to read the Author’s Note to learn what inspired the author to write this story.