In this touching story of belonging and environmental awareness, a young boy's courage and ingenuity help an orphaned rhinoceros find safety in a new herd.
Tetenya and his mother have found Faru, a baby rhinoceros, alone on the savannah. They know that rhino sanctuaries will adopt orphaned infants, but finding the rangers who protect local herds may be a long and risky prospect-there are poachers lurking about the landscape. Undaunted, Tetenya sets out, leading Faru past giraffes CHOMP-CHOMPING on acacia leaves, amongst vervet monkeys SLURP-SLURPING sweet fruits, and around guinea fowl SCRITCH-SCRITCHING the earth for seeds. Suddenly, danger is upon them: two poachers are coming near. There are only seconds to spare, and Tetenya has nothing but his wits and a handful of berries to help him.
In A Family for Faru, author Anitha Rao-Robinson draws inspiration from her life-changing time spent on the savannah and from conservationists' innovation to discourage poachers: injecting a pink dye into rhinoceros horns. Award-winning illustrator Karen Patkau's dreamy landscapes reflect her own travels in the region and celebrate the courage and ingenuity of a young boy as he helps his four-legged friend find a place to belong.
Anitha Rao-Robinson received her Bachelor of Commerce from Queen's University and worked as an accountant for twenty-four years before trading numbers for words. Her previous works include Broken Worlds in 2014 and Broken Promises in 2017. Anitha is passionate about environmental awareness and hopes to continue to spread change. Author, illustrator, designer, and visual artist Karen Patkau's distinctive art can be found in more than a dozen picture books for children. She is the recipient of the Ezra Jack Keats Memorial Medal for Don't Eat Spiders, and One Watermelon Seed was a Bank Street Best Book. A Good Trade is a White Ravens Choice, a Bank Street Best Book, and a nominee for the OLA Blue Spruce Award and the Kentucky Bluegrass Award, among others. Karen lives in Toronto, Ontario
Title: A Family for Faru
Author: Rao-Robinson, Anitha
ISBN: 9781772780963
Binding:
Publisher: Pajama Press
Publication Date: 2020-10-16
Number of Pages: 32
Weight: 0.4401 kg
Praise for A Family for Faru
2021 CCBC Best Books for Kids & Teens Selection
2020 CBC Books 52 Canadian picture books coming out in fall 2020 selection
Having wide appeal, this story can introduce a range of topics, from adoption to African animals to endangered species. Young listeners will enjoy the introductory trek through the savanna and cheer when Faru finds a family. -School Library Journal
The backmatter offers insightful details on the poaching of rhinos, their endangered status, conservation efforts to save them, and Rao-Robinson's story of her encounter with rhinos in South Africa that inspired the book. A gentle story that helps children understand why wildlife conservation matters and why they should care. -Kirkus Reviews
The warm relationship between Tetenya and Faru, and the young boys' bravery, that children will most likely remember. -Horn Book Magazine
An excellent feature of A Family for Faru is that it ends with age-appropriate factual information about rhinos that is worded in comprehendible, child-friendly language....Beautifully written and illustrated, A Family for Faru is a most worthwhile addition to library collections. Recommended. -CM Magazine
A Family for Faru is a touching picture book that combines a good story with, at the back of the book, a section pertaining to the plight of the endangered rhinoceros....Excellent illustrations complement the story. -Postmedia
Anitha Rao-Robinson's story is one of friendship and compassion but also conservation as her final note about 'Rhinos' elucidates....Anitha Rao-Robinson's text evokes the camaraderie of rhino and boy in their companionable activities, whether it be collecting waterberries or hiking or resting and it's Karen Patkau's extraordinary digitally-rendered art that takes us to the savannah. -CanLit for LittleCanadians
Infused in the story are the wonderful sound effects of the African savannah. This story will prompt children and elementary classes to engage in discussions of conservation, environmental awareness, and hope for change. -Green Teacher
