Rats to the Rescue
The Unlikely Heroes Making Cambodia Safe
Heroes come in all shapes, sizes, and species!
Growing up in Cambodia, Malen knew that dangers from a long-ago war lay hidden underground. Buried explosives forced her and many others to live, farm, and play in fear. As she got older, Malen learned how to use a metal detector to find and safely dispose of these landmines.
Five thousand miles away, in Tanzania, Magawa was also learning how to find landmines. But he didn’t need a metal detector—he had his nose. Magawa was a rat, and his smelling superpower and light weight helped him safely sniff out dangerous explosives.
After completing his training, Magawa joined Malen in Cambodia, and together they cleared more than a hundred landmines from fields all across the country. A fascinating true story with a hopeful ending and rich back matter from Scott Riley, author of The Floating Field, with Sambat Meas, a Cambodian deminer, and Cambodian American illustrator Huy Voun Lee.
| Format | Your Price | Add |
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979-8-7656-0798-5
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$14.99 | |
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979-8-7656-3848-4
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$24.99 |
Awards
- Dogwood Readers Award
- Towner Award Nominee
- Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) Choices
- Freeman Book Award Honorable Mention
Reviews
Horn Book Herald
“The threat of landmines in Cambodia is explained with sensitivity in this nonfiction picture book that tells the story of a native deminer and the “HeroRAT” who helped her do her job. . . .Lee’s digital illustrations help to demystify the difficult job."—The Horn Book Herald
Children's Literature Comprehensive Database (CLCD)
“This would be a great addition to a unit on animal helpers or world geography for elementary school classrooms. Reviewer Rating: 5”—Children’s Literature
School Library Journal
“A very interesting and compelling story that most young readers will be unaware of, and many will find fascinating.”—School Library Journal
Booklist
“With Lee’s painted scenes (switching to photos in the back matter) to illustrate, the authors describe in detail how both the people and the rats are trained, how Malen and her colleagues bond with their animals, and how they carefully and systematically stake out and sweep suspected minefields.”—Booklist
Kirkus Reviews
“An unusual subject, sensitively handled.”—Kirkus Reviews