Mission To Madagascar
Amanda Lumry & Laura Hurwitz
(Reviewer - Rev. Marie D. Jones)
2005 Eaglemont Press
ISBN: 0974841129

Another top-notch installment in a delightful & educational series takes kids into distant lands.

Associate Reviewer Rev. Marie Jones writes:

I first got wind of the amazing Adventures of Riley series in 2004, when I was asked to review one of the earlier installments. The bold & colorful artwork by Sarah McIntyre, the original & creative characters, & the educational & informative storyline had me hooked. But what reeled me in was the dedication of the Riley series to environmentalism & wildlife conservation.

Mission To Madagascar, once again has our resourceful hero, Riley, & his wanna-be-a-star cousin, Alice, off in search of a mystical creature called the “aye-aye” in the wild jungles of the African island of Madagascar. Accompanying the kids are Uncle Max, a world-famous biologist, & Aunt Martha, as well as a camera crew eager to get on film the wildlife of this mysterious land.

Riley is determined to spot the “aye-aye”, a rare type of lemur, despite being told that it is, according to native legend, bad luck. But before he does, he gets to see an amazing array of jungle creatures big & small. We, the reader, get to enjoy every step of Riley's journey right along with him, learning facts about the creatures & environment as we go along from a variety of experts.

Mission To Madagascar is filled with photos, factoids & information about a place most of us will never really get to go, yet with Riley, we can travel the world. That's what makes these books so wonderful -- that children can explore along with the hero, learning as they go about the wonders of nature.

The book features a Passport to Riley's World, & additional information about how children can join Riley's World & receive free updates, fun things to do, even stickers that mark where in the world they have ventured. There is also an informative & fun website, www.adventuresofriley.com, where kids can learn more about the places Riley visits & what he sees there.

Best of all, a portion of the proceeds of these lushly illustrated, exciting & original books goes to support the educational mission of the Smithsonian Institute, to promote & inspire kids to want to protect their world, & learn all they can about the natural creatures they share it with.

Kudos to authors Amanda Lumry & Laura Hurwitz, & illustrator Sarah McIntyre, for creating a book that jumps off the shelf, begging to be read by kids &adults eager to enter a world of adventure. The children's book market rarely sees such a great new series as this.

More Riley Adventures
(07/17/05)

Rev. Marie D. Jones
2005©Marie D. Jones
A RebeccasReads.Com Associate Reviewer

Reviewer's Bio:
Marie Jones is a New Thought minister, author of Looking For God In All The Wrong Places & a widely published writer of inspirational essays, gift books, short stories & magazine articles. She is also a screenwriter, & has produced a children's storybook video series for Gigglebug Farms Productions. she holds a Masters Degree in Metaphysical Studies & is a licensed pastoral counsellor.