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Nguyen, Trang

Saving Sorya: Chang and the Sun Bear

128 pp. | Dial | September, 2021 | Trade ISBN 978-0-593-35363-9 $23.99 | Paper ISBN 978-0-593-35362-2 $13.99 | Ebook ISBN 978-0-593-35364-6 $8.99
(2) 4-6 Illustrated by Jeet Zdung. Nguyen's graphic novel "based on a true adventure" tells the story of a girl named Chang, who is an aspiring wildlife conservationist, and her efforts to protect Vietnam's native species and natural environments. Accompanying Chang is Sorya, a sun bear rescued in Laos, who must learn survival skills before she can be safely returned to the forest. Zdung's expressive, expansive comics-style panels depict Sorya's many playful antics moment by moment, as well as the fast-paced tension in more dangerous interactions in the wild. Clever picture-within-picture illustrations from Chang's field-notebook sketches incorporate information on topics ranging from bear species to the many ways humans exploit wild animals for profit. The warmth of the characters' relationship is conveyed with a minimum of anthropomorphism. The conversational narrative is occasionally paused by gorgeous interspersed partial-to-full spreads of Vietnamese rainforest landscapes filled with the heat, moisture, and density of tropical plant and animal life. Sorya eventually returns to the wild, while Chang continues her lifelong efforts to protect the forests and their inhabitants from human exploitation done through development, farming, dams, and the illegal animal trade. Brief author and illustrator notes are appended.
Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2022

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