Reviews and Endorsements

School Library Journal-April 2012
Full of interesting facts, this picture book introduces youngsters to the eruption on Mount St. Helens. Through the point of view of a gopher that lives on the mountain, readers are told of the effects of the disaster on the habitat of living and nonliving things. The story describes how certain plants and animals survived the volcanic blast and how others were unable to find food or shelter after the explosion. It explains how nature rebuilds and recovers after years of devastation. Realistic drawings depict wildlife in all stages of survival. Full-page spreads and earthy hues will capture children’s attention and show the interconnectedness of nature. Back matter includes educational supplements and activities on natural disasters, habitat changes, pressure and melting, and tectonic plates.–Melissa Smith, Royal Oak Public Library, MI

Eclectic Homeschool Online-March 2012
I was in the area when Mount Saint Helens exploded on that pleasant morning in May. I've had a fascination for the mountain ever since. About a decade later, when our family drove to a viewpoint as close to the mountain as you could in those days, the blast area still looked like a moonscape, devoid of life, with scoured, burned earth and blown-down tall trees looking like scattered toothpicks on the distant slopes.

A few years later, you could see the signs of life returning, a green haze here, a bird flying overhead, a lizard; not too many years after there were saplings growing on what had been barren ground, and Spirit Lake was looking like a lake again, and not just a mat of blasted timber. Recently we took a nature hike through an area not far from the mountain that boasted a new forest, streams, even signs of beavers gnawing down trees and building dams and homes. It's amazing, to think how far the area has come in just a few decades.

Gopher to the Rescue: A Volcano Recovery Story tells what happened to the animals before and after the volcano erupted. Pictures are lifelike, though the animals are drawn with almost human expressions. The book deals with how life slowly returns to the devastated area, with a lot of help from small diggers like Gopher (who cultivates the ground with his digging), and birds dropping seeds in their waste as they fly over, until finally the landscape can support larger animals once more.
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Learning Table-April 2012
Laurie O'Keefe's detailed illustrations bring Terry Jennings' story to life as the animals on the mountain scurry to find safety when the volcano erupts.  The story tackles the harsh reality of what happens in the immediate aftermath, but goes on to show how the area recovers and life returns over the years.  Some animals are able to find shelter, while others do not survive.  Though this may be disturbing for some readers, the realities are depicted in a straightforward way, with the focus on the little gopher who is able to hide under ground until it is safe to come out. 

This book is based on the true-life eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980 and the scientific research that has been conducted there since.  Kids will be fascinated to see how the area has changed.  The "For Creative Minds" section of the book includes information on what volcanoes are and where they are located on the earth, natural disasters' effects on habitats, and a hands-on activity to experiment with pressure and melting.  Especially for boys or kinesthetic learners who like non-fiction, or for anyone who loves animals and nature, this book is sure to be a hit.
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Tif Talks Books-May 2012
Many years ago, I walked the mountain and discovered first-hand the destruction of the eruption of Mount St. Helens in Washington State.  I saw the beginnings of life returning, but I never had the understanding of where or how the healing of the land began.  Gopher to the Rescue! has helped me to better understand the rebuilding process and has provided this adult mind a new perspective.  I have yet to share this treasure with my own children, but I look forward to doing it in the near future when my son begins this unit in school.

As usual with books published by Sylvan Dell, readers can expand the story into real life with pages of additional activities as well as a multitude of resources available online.  Pair these with a trip to Mount St. Helens or other local volcanic site and you will have your children exploding with practical knowledge you can't get just anywhere!
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Home School Book Review-March 2012
It is a picture book that is both fun to read and great as a launching pad for educational discussion.
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The Reading Tub-May 2012
Gopher to the Rescue is nicely done with lots of good information. This would be an excellent way of getting a class interested in a science project or unit on nature. There is lots to share for different audiences. Although this is a fictional character, the science content is accurate and detailed. There is a lot of depth to this book - and activities in the back, too. You can discover / study: volcanoes, animals, natural disasters and their aftermath, as well as habitat restoration. Go to review online.

Books for Learning-April 2012
Gopher to the Rescue!  A Volcano Recovery Story is a good balance of engaging narrative and nonfiction information.  The text is straightforward enough that young readers will enjoy it, but dense enough to be a springboard for many science topics like environmental changes, volcanoes, habitats, landforms,, food chains, and so forth.  The illustrations (by Laurie O’Keefe) are rich and detailed, revealing not only the beauty of the woodlands but the desolation of the area after the eruption.  This book is a beautiful story of the resilience of nature and a testimony of hope in the midst of disaster.  I recommend it for ages 4-11.
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Book Loons - May 2012
Based on the eruption of Mount St. Helens on May 18, 1980, Terry Jennings explains how the animals help life return to the mountain. Laurie O'Keefe's illustrations help show what happens before, during, and after the destruction.
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Kids Book Review - April 2012
I liked when Gopher ran into Toad’s and Salamander’s burrows because it was funny. I learned that gopher holes can actually make the soil better. A person who likes animals would like this book. Teachers would also like this book. - Nathan Age 8
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Heck of a Bunch-April 2012
A book that depicts animal life after a volcanic eruption, Gopher to the Rescue! tells how animals survived and how some were killed.  The book shows illustrations of several animal species. The Creative Minds section in the back of the book is informative and tells of volcanoes, natural disasters and habit changes, and a science experiment on pressure and melting.
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Over a Steaming Cup of Tea
The slow recovery of a habiat after a volcanic eruption is a difficult subject for young children to grasp and one not often attempted in picture books. However, this author/illustrator team does an excellent job of bringing the topic down to where a child will be interested and able to understand. I appreciate the unique way in which this book shows the recovery of the mountain literally from the ground up. Children will be riveted by these beautifully crafted illustrations, and they will begin to grasp the order in which life returns to an area following a volcanic blast.
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Reading to Know-February 2012
Gopher to the Rescue! A Volcano Recovery Story was Bookworm1's favorite because he's currently fascinated by volcanoes. When we finished the book I started to shut it, thinking that the back pages of additional scientific information (offered in each of these titles) about volcanoes would be over his head. He stopped me and asked me to read information about the earth's core and how volcanoes happen. "I want to learn about that!" he said. (You do not argue with your child when they say such things!)

In this book by Terry Catasus Jennings, we learn about how the gopher is useful in restoring the soil after a volcano and returning life to the mountain. I can't say that the illustrations in this book are my favorite (the gopher's smile on the front cover actually drives me a bit crazy) but this didn't seem to phase Bookworm1.
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