BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Montgomery, Sy. 2006. QUEST FOR THE TREE KANGAROO: AN EXPEDITION TO THE CLOUD FOREST OF NEW GUINEA. Photographs by Nic Bishop. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN: 978-0618-49641-9
PLOT SUMMARY:
Sy Montgomery starts this amazing journey with the reader by introducing the main characters: Lisa, the scientist/leader, and the Matschie's tree kangaroo. She then proceeds to take the reader along a three-week expedition into the cloud forest of New Guinea allowing him or her to feel a part of the scientific team.
The research team is introduced to the reader while we are given a glimpse into the monumental planning that is undertaken for such a trip. No running to the market for food or other supplies in the cloud forest! Everything that the scientists need they must take with them and then carry on a nine-hour hike in the mountains. With photographs inside the plane and of the team, the reader is given the sense of participation. Upon arrival in the village of Yawan, we are introduced to the native people's and some of their culture.
After a long hike to the camp, the team begins the process of finding, tracking, and capturing tree kangaroos for study. The team will hold the animals for a brief time in order to tag them and then release them back to the forest. The detailed writings of the entire process of tracking and marking and general care for the kangaroos are a true window into a scientific expedition allowing the reader a much greater understanding. Upon release the kangaroos are tracked and studied through transmissions of the monitors they were equipped with while in captivity; again, the specificity of the writing (while not being inaccessible to students) gives the reader a sense of the science behind animal research in the natural habitat.
The author ends the work with a positive discussion of conservation and the application of their expedition. In a brilliant closing, she records the story of a young child and her grandmother on a trip to the zoo as they discover the tree kangaroos for the first time. The reader is left with a sense of wisdom and intelligence, knowing more than others after having been along for the scientists work.
CRITICAL ANALYSIS:
Beginning with a globe view of the island of New Guinea and then zooming in to the cloud forest area where the expedition takes place, Montgomery shows a true expertise at guiding the reader on a scientific journey. Her writing is accessible for students as young as 4th or 5th grade while providing such rich depth that an older student could use her work for research. Beautiful and brilliant photos by Bishop enhance the feeling of the reader being taken along for the journey with the team.
The conversational tone of the book allows the reader to learn much without feeling as if they've been reading a textbook. Mmanageable chapter lengths assist with this belief, also. Not only does the reader learn about the cloud forest and the tree kangaroo, a rich look at the natives of the Yawan village is given. This cultural aspect of the work is valuable to students in America.
The detailed scientific monitoring and information is amazing in Quest. A student is given a much greater knowledge of what a scientist does and how precise they must be...and why. For a young person studying science of any form, this information is incredibly relevant and helpful. This importance of this accuracy cannot by overstated.
Overall, the book is well documented and accurate with an easy to follow organization. In regard to access materials, Montgomery provides a clever (and brief) Tok Pisin dictionary for a unique look at the native language of the villagers we meet, a wonderful list of resources for readers to use in follow-up research, and tips on conservation given by the lead scientist. Each of these resources provides an excellent path to further study by a class or by an individual reader.
REVIEW(S)/AWARD(S):
*School Library Journal (starred review): "Bishop's photographs capture the expedition in detail. Stunning close-ups of plants, insects, and birds vie for attention with panoramas of moss-draped trees in the eerie, ancient forest. Montgomery describes both the hardships and exhilaration of the enterprise." (Kathy Piehl)
*Booklist (starred review): "Montgomery gives a chronological, sometimes moment-by-moment account of the challenging climb into the remote cloud forest, the conditions in camp (rice-and-fern dinners, icy waterfall showers), and the awe-inspiring encounters with barely studied animals." (Gillian Engberg)
*Sibert Honor book
CONNECTIONS:
*have the students check out the "Tree Kangaroos Near You" to see where these amazing animals live in the U.S.
*assign small groups of students to each take one of the "To learn more" recommendations given by the author and then present back to the entire class
*have the students create small sayings using the Tok Pisin dictionary
*have students research in groups more about cloud forests
*have students research and identify other endangered and rare animals
*read Saving the Ghost of the Mountain, another book by Montgomery and Bishop, as a class
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