Overview
An engaging look at the Everglades, its history, its plants and animals, and the challenges scientists trying to save the River of Grass face today.
Synopsis
The Everglades is like no other place in the world. Its shallow, slowly flowing waters create an ecosystem of mysterious beauty with a great diversity of plant and animal life. This book documents the beauty of the Everglades for young readers in text and color photos.
But the Everglades ecosystem is in trouble, and it is all about the water. People have ditched, diked, diverted, and drained the water. Plant and animal populations are declining at an alarming rate. The quality of life for people in south Florida is also at risk. Destroy the Everglades-destroy the water system of south Florida.
Can we save the Everglades? Reverse the environmental abuse? Protect the aquifers that hold the water underground? No one really knows. The most recent effort, the Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan (CERP)-the largest environmental restoration plan ever undertaken on Earth-has gained global attention. The massive plan, which is expected to take at least 35 years to complete and cost many billions of dollars, covers an 18,000-square-mile area and requires many groups to work together.
Can CERP save the Everglades and south Florida? You can decide for yourself after reading this book. One thing is for sure: the Everglades is worth saving.
Children's Literature
This book immediately explains its purpose: to convince young readers that the Everglades need to be protected and errors made over many years must be reversed to save this fragile ecosystem. Arguments to prove past mistakes and present danger are effectively detailed. The seven chapters have titles that include "Extinct, Endangered, and Exotic," and "Can We Fix the Everglades?" Writing is at its best when it tells a story; for example, at the end of chapter one, how humans, to the detriment of this River of Grass, have manipulated nature since their first arrival in Florida. The writing can be appealing and witty, but it also leans toward the academic. Although the book has an 8th grade Fry readability level, the material contains much content-specific terminology that appeals more to the student with a scientific bent, and the small gray sans serif font may make reading tedious. Less able or interested readers can learn a great deal, however, from the abundant captioned, color photographs and sidebar information. Backmatter includes notes, career opportunities for people interested in repairing Planet Earth, a glossary, references, and an index. This book is recommended as a concise, needed statement about this area of our earth. Reviewer: Mary Bowman-Kruhm, Ph.D.