Buddy Bison’s Yellowstone Adventure
Written by Ilona E Holland
National Geographic Children's Books, Feb. 2016
Ages 4-8
Christopher wants nothing more than to see a bison in “Buddy
Bison’s Yellowstone Adventure.” On a flip of his favorite bison nickel, his
twin Elena gets to decide where they’ll go on their day at Yellowstone with Aunt
Rosa, a park ranger. She picks the hot springs. When their aunt investigates a
report of injured birds, the twins get into a little trouble. Christopher
wanders off. Buddy Bison, a plush toy clipped to Elena’s backpack, comes to
life. He helps Elena search for Christopher, but he disappears as soon as they
find Christopher taking photographs of a thermal spring. Before their visit to
Yellowstone ends, the twins come upon bison grazing and Christopher gets
his wish.
National Geographic published this picture book as part of a
yearlong public education campaign to mark the 100th anniversary of the founding
of the National Park Service. While the book offers beautiful photographs
and many interesting facts about Yellowstone National Park, National Geographic
would have been better served to hire a nonfiction children’s author instead of
an academic to write the book. The story is very thin and unsatisfying to the
reader. Although most of the story is realistic, Elena’s plush toy animal
suddenly turns into a real bison. Is this her imagination? Is it real? The
reader never finds out. Instead the bison disappears as quickly as it appeared.
On the other hand, Elena’s journal page and Christopher’s
photos at the back of the book are clever additions. The afterward also
includes a map of Yellowstone, a short history of the park, park preservation
tips, an interesting story about how hot springs are vital to bison surviving
the harsh winters of Yellowstone, and a list of books and websites for further
study.
About the Author:
Ilona E. Holland is on the leadership council of the
National Park Trust. She holds an Ed.D. and Ed.M. from Harvard University's
Graduate School of Education, a M.Ed from University of Delaware and a B.A.
from Swarthmore College. Dr. Holland was a Lecturer on Education at Harvard's
Graduate School of Education and a Senior Advisor for Academic Affairs and
Instructional Design at Children's Hospital in Boston. She has served as an
evaluator of educational technology projects and she was part of the creative
team for the PBS Emmy Award-winning Word Girl.
