Keeper of the Swamp

In this atmospheric tale, a boy and his ailing grandfather pole a small boat out into the Louisiana bayou. When they suddenly come upon Boots, a female alligator the grandfather saved from poachers years ago, the boy wonders how he will face the danger in following his grandfather’s wish: to care for this creature. First-time author Ann Garrett has fashioned a scary but satisfying tale with a strong environmental message. Karen Chandler’s vivid illustrations, using both oil painting and computer imaging, perfectly capture the beauty and loneliness of this remote place and those both the humans and the animals who inhabit it.