Ginger Wadsworth

I loved Sniffer Dogs by Nancy Castaldo so much - was there anything else to say about dogs and their noses? Absolutely yes! While Sniffer Dogs covers the history and science of dogs and their noses, Poop Detectives gives us an in-depth look at a specific use for dogs; environmental and scientific research!

Wadsworth opens the book with a fictional story of the choosing of a good poop detective and then talks about their training and the many uses scientists have found for them, from sniffing show more for poop to tracking animals, to finding plants!

Along the way she profiles various dogs and talks about their unique abilities, training, and how they've helped conservationists and scientists from sniffing out whale poop to discovering turtle nests.

The book includes plenty of photographs, sidebars of information, and even a section on the dogs' retirement and life after their working days are over. Back matter includes an author's note, acknowledgements, photo credits, glossary, resources, quotation sources, selected bibliography, and index. Phew! This is clearly a well-researched book and that shows in every lovingly-crafted section. I found myself fascinated by this look at how dogs and humans work together to save and research wildlife and the sidelight on how scientific research changes and adapts.

And, of course, there's lots of pictures of poop.

Verdict: Don't just hand this to dog lovers - any readers who enjoys science, animals, is thinking about career choices in those areas, or just likes to learn interesting and new things will get caught up in this book. This is definitely going on my booktalk list for next spring and I encourage you to try it out in your book clubs and on your tween readers. Highly recommended.

ISBN: 9781580896504; Published 2016 by Charlesbridge; Purchased for the library show less

I don’t think I would have ever run across this book if I had not been a Cybil judge and it had not been nominated for best nonfiction picture book. The publisher is a small one and the topic is a small story. I’m glad I did. It’s a lovely book, with a well-told story and engaging pictures. Camping with the President is the story of a camping trip taken by President Theodore Roosevelt and naturalist John Muir to Yosemite in 1903. They slept on the ground and ate from food prepared over show more an open fire. They hiked through the mountains and stood next to sequoias and looked at waterfalls. The book strikes me as exceptionally authoritative. In an author’s note, Wadsworth spends two pages telling how she obtained the information for the book. She has an additional page of source notes. In addition to the story of the camping expedition, she also provides additional information about Roosevelt, Muir, and Yosemite at the end of the book.My husband and I visited Yosemite two summers ago. It gives me a happy feeling to think that we walked where Roosevelt and Muir once walked, that we saw sites these two men saw. And I am thankful that because of these two men and others like them we had the privilege of doing so.From the book:‘While the President chewed his way through a platter of steak and fried potatoes, Muir spoke of the need to provide “government protection…around every wild grove and forest on the mountains.” He urged Roosevelt to set aside land, including the Mariposa Grove of Big Trees and the state-run Yosemite Valley, which they would visit the next day.The President had never met anyone who talked as much, or as fast, about the importance of nature. In fact, Muir seemed to live on words, not food! As Roosevelt listened, he heard a noise in the trees above him. Was it a dreaded Secret Service man, guarding him in a tree? He listened again. Then he chuckled. In his notebook, the President wrote “owl.”’ show less

I purchased this for the library because it had an attractive cover and my biography section is really, really, really outdated. It hasn't circulated a lot, but it's gone out a few times. I finally got around to reading it, and found it interesting - as much for what it includes as what it doesn't.

My own experience with girl scouts was pretty much limited to reading about them in old British school girl stories. I think I might have noticed a few selling cookies at Walmart once in a while, show more but that's it. So I came to this book with a completely open mind.

The first half of this book is a biography of Juliette Gordon Low, the woman who brought Girl Scouts to the United States. It begins with her parents early life and marriage and continues to Juliette's experiences in the Civil War as a young child, her education in a boarding school in New York, marriage into the English aristocracy, experiences in two world wars, involvement in the Spanish-American War, and many years of unhappy marriage cumulating in her husband's death and a lawsuit to regain his inheritance from his mistress. She was also partially deaf as a result of an illness and experimental medical procedure. It was not until she was in her early fifties that she became involved in the birth and growth of the Girl Scouts, first in England, as the Girl Guides, and then bringing them to America.

Ginger Wadsworth brings in a myriad of interesting facts and historical context surrounding the life of Juliette Gordon Low and the beginnings of the Girl Scouts. She focuses on Low's exuberant personality and, while touching lightly on her failings, gives an optimistic picture of a woman who embraced new experiences and ideas, triumphed over difficulties, and had a genuine love for her family, friends, and the many girls she influenced.

Verdict: From what I've observed, interest in Girl Scouts declines rapidly once girls hit about fifth grade. It's definitely not considered "cool." However, there are lots of younger girls involved in the organization and this is an interesting book not only for the biographical aspects, but of the rapid changes in history at the time. It does have a bit of an odd shape - it's a thick square - but I think parents and kids will pick it up. Biographies don't generally have a high circulation at my library, but this one I think will gather momentum.

ISBN: 9780547243948; Published 2012 by Clarion; Borrowed from the library; Purchased for the library show less

I'm fascinated by all that working dogs can do, and this compelling title doesn't fail. Young readers and dog lovers will be intrigued by the important roles dogs have in helping scientists with research and conservation efforts. Yay for dogs!