Rats to the Rescue: The Unlikely Heroes Making Cambodia Safe

by Scott Riley, Sambat Meas, Huy Voun Lee (Illustrator)

Overview

Heroes come in all shapes, sizes, and species!

Growing up in Cambodia, Malen knew that dangers from a long-ago war lay hidden underground. Buried explosives forced her and many others to live, farm, and play in fear. As she got older, Malen learned how to use a metal detector to find and safely dispose of these landmines.

Five thousand miles away, in Tanzania, Magawa was also learning how to find landmines. But he didn’t need a metal detector—he had his nose. Magawa was a rat, and his smelling superpower and light weight helped him safely sniff out dangerous explosives.

After completing his training, Magawa joined Malen in Cambodia, and together they cleared more than a hundred landmines from fields all across the country. A fascinating true story with a hopeful ending and rich back matter from Scott Riley, author of The Floating Field, with Sambat Meas, a Cambodian deminer, and Cambodian American illustrator Huy Voun Lee.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798765638491
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	09/10/2024
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
File size:	19 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	8 - 9 Years

About the Author

Scott Riley is a teacher and children's book author. Scott has spent nearly thirty years teaching in the US, Indonesia, Czech Republic, and Singapore. Scott draws inspiration from the people he meets and the places he explores while living overseas. His debut picture book The Floating Field was a Texas Topaz Nonfiction Reading List title, Chicago Public Library Best of the Best Books, and Freeman Book Award winner. He currently lives in Singapore with his wife, two daughters, and one very lively labradoodle.
As a child growing up in Cambodia, Sambat Meas could see that the deminers working to clear the country of landmines were heroes. He now works with Anti-Personnel Landmines Detection Product Development (APOPO) to help make Cambodia a safer place for everyone.
Huy Voun Lee arrived in New York City at the age of six as a Cambodian refugee. She quickly developed a love for art from playing with the scrap papers her mother brought home from her workplace. Huy has written and illustrated many books for children including Like a Dandelion and Origami Playhouse. On many days, she can be found sharing the joys of origami and art with school children in New York City and visitors of the Museum of Natural History. Huy lives with her husband and mother in New York.

Editorial Reviews

"A very interesting and compelling story that most young readers will be unaware of, and many will find fascinating."—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

08/01/2024

Gr 1–4—This book is all about the need to clear land mines and why people feel compelled to do this highly dangerous work. It also explains how rats can help, working more quickly and more safely than humans can: readers learn that rats have a highly developed sense of smell; they are smart, easy to train, and not very heavy, which makes them a great choice for sniffing out land mines. Countries where land mines have been used, like Cambodia, have long tried to find efficient and safe methods of getting rid of them, and rats have been a great answer. The book also has more specific information about how the authors and the illustrator learned about and lived with land mines. There are maps that show where Cambodia is as well as Tanzania, which is where the rats are trained. It's a very interesting and compelling story that most young readers will be unaware of, and many will find fascinating. VERDICT With an interesting, little-known story for young readers, this a good choice for libraries needing foundational materials on global issues.—Debbie Tanner

School Library Journal

2024-06-15
African pouched rats and their Cambodian handlers work together to find hidden land mines left over from a long-ago war.

This story stars Malen, who’s told that land mine discovery is “too difficult” and “not meant for young women.” People say similar things about Magawa, a giant African pouched rat: “too difficult,” “not meant for rats.” Malen, who grew up in Cambodia, where hidden explosives have rendered much of the land unsafe, doesn’t listen. Neither do the Tanzanians who train Magawa, one of many HeroRATS who have a “smelling superpower”: They can sniff out explosives. After finishing their training, Magawa and other “deminer” rats journey to Cambodia, where they work with Malen and her colleagues. For this book, co-author Riley worked with Meas, a staff member at APOPO, an organization that trains animals to detect land mines. (APOPO is an acronym of its Dutch name.) Lee’s illustrations depict the mine-discovery process: the ropes that demarcate the areas to be searched, as well as the harnessed rats that sniff in an orderly way until they find explosives to be dug up. The focus of this gently told narrative is the search; actual mine clearing happens offstage. Details of the “long war” are left to the backmatter, which includes a timeline and a map and notes that these clever rats and their brave handlers are searching for American bombs dropped during the Vietnam War, as well as Khmer Rouge mines from the 1970s. Readers will also find background on the real Malen and Magawa here.

An unusual subject, sensitively handled. (authors’ and illustrator’s notes, information on the HeroRATS of APOPO, rat-training instructions, pronunciation guide)(Informational picture book. 6-10)

Kirkus Reviews