Bunnies in Trouble

Deborah Dowson is a Canadian children’s librarian living in Powell,
Ohio.

Wild Paws books feature a young animal lover named Maxine Kearney and
her friend Sarah, who are committed to helping wild animals in distress.
They volunteer at the Paws and Claws Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre,
whose mission it is to help wild animals and return them to their
natural habitat if possible.

In Bunnies in Trouble, the girls help a mother snowshoe hare reunite
with her babies and they meet a veterinary student who agrees to help
out at the centre whenever he can. In Cubs All Alone, a pair of orphaned
baby bears too big to be cared for at the centre and need to be taken to
a rehabilitation facility specially designed for bears. Maxine and Sarah
travel to Quebec in Orphaned Beluga, and Maxine helps guide a trapped
baby beluga back to the St. Lawrence River.

There is a predictable pattern to the books in this series, as each one
focuses on a particular animal rescue. There is also a repetition of the
history of the first animal that Max rescued, which was a baby bobcat,
and a description of the centre and its purpose. The delightfully cute
cover illustrations are a good indication of what the reader will
discover inside. The stories are sweet, wholesome, and concentrate on
the most adorable aspects of the animals, which are usually babies. The
stories model caring and demonstrate sensitivity to the needs of the
animals. There is not a lot of suspense or tension and all obstacles are
happily overcome. There is always an educational component to teach the
reader facts about the animal that is featured. These stories will be
especially enjoyed by young animal lovers. Recommended.