Riley, Scott. Rats to the Rescue: The Unlikely Heroes Making Cambodia Safe. Huy Voun Lee, Illus. Addl. Creator Sambat Meas. Lerner/Millbrook, 09/2024. [40]pp. Nonfiction. Trade $19.99. 979-8765607985. GRADES Kindergarten–3. ADDITIONAL.
How can rats be helpful to humans? This title explains by introducing African giant pouched rats which are helping deminers in Cambodia sniff out landmines and bombs left over from years of wars. Lee’s digital illustrations show the courage the deminers face in their daunting task, which the rats’ sniffing ability makes safer and faster. Riley and Meas’s narrative text addresses the need for demining, and explains why it is so important by following one young woman through her journey of becoming a deminer, being paired with an African giant pouched rat, and learning to work together.
Joshua Rees—Daly City Public Library