BOOKS: Kids Making a Difference for Animals

From ANIMAL PEOPLE, June 2010:

Kids Making a Difference for Animals
by Nancy Furstinger & Sheryl L. Pipe
John Wiley (111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030), 2009.
(Order c/o <www.aspcaonlinestore.com>.)
84 pages, hardcover. $12.99.

Kids Making a Difference for Animals is inspirational,
heartwarming, and reduced me to tears, sharing examples of children
and teens committed to improving life for animals, both domestic and
wild.

While some kids talk on their cell phones or spend time at
the local mall, others discover a different path. “I immediately
started crying to my mom that I wanted to save dogs,” a teen from
East Haven, Connecticut says of her awakening experience. Like
thousands of other children in the U.S. and around the world, she
now participates in rescuing animals from shelters and fostering them
for adoption.
Dogs on chains, feral cats, and endangered species catch
the attention of children who believe their lives matter. Every
child mentioned in the book is a true friend to animals and the
environment. I can’t mention them all, but consider the sixth grade
students in upstate New York who heard their local shelter had run
low on pet food. They collected 456 cans and bags of food plus a few
hundred dollars so that homeless dogs and cats would eat.
In 2005 a 12-year old girl and her mother co-founded an
equine rescue. So far they have rescued 73 horses, ponies and mules
from slaughter.
Ayna Agarwal, visiting India with her family, was so shaken
by an injured puppy on a busy street, ignored by everyone, that she
started a web site called Stop Pet Overpopulation Globally, which
raises funds for sterilizing pets in India.
Kids Making a Difference for Animals shows reason for hope.
The next generation is well-prepared to tackle pet overpopulation,
vanishing wildlife habitats and the ever present threat of animal
cruelty.
— Debra J. White