Bortolotti, Dan 1969-

BORTOLOTTI, Dan 1969-

Personal

Born July 27, 1969, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Education: University of Waterloo, B.A. (English; with honors), 1992.

Addresses

Home— 27 Twelve Oaks Dr., Aurora, Ontario, Canada L4G 6J5. Agent— Don Sedgwick, Transatlantic Literary Agency, 1603 Italy Cross Rd., Petite Riviere, Nova Scotia, Canada B0J 2P0. E-mail— dan@danbortolotti. com.

Career

Writer and journalist.

Awards, Honors

Science in Society Book Award shortlist, both 2003, both for Exploring Saturn and Panda Rescue.

Writings

Exploring Saturn, Firefly Books (Buffalo, NY), 2003.

Panda Rescue: Changing the Future for Endangered Wildlife, Firefly Books (Buffalo, NY), 2003.

Tiger Rescue: Changing the Future for Endangered Wildlife, Firefly Books (Buffalo, NY), 2003.

Hope in Hell: Inside the World of Doctors without Borders (adult nonfiction), Firefly Books (Buffalo, NY), 2004.

Sidelights

Canadian journalist Dan Bortolotti is the author of several nonfiction books for young readers. His 2004 book, Exploring Saturn, helps readers position the sixth planet within the solar system, then examines the ringed planet's unique characteristics, including its many moons. Tracing the known history of Saturn for young researchers, Bortolotti follows human understanding about the planet, from the ancient models of Ptolemy to the photographs captured by modern space probes such as the Hubble satellite, and even up to the preparations for the 2004 Cassini-Hygens probe's trip into the Saturnian planetary system. In Resource Links Heather Empey described Exploring Saturn as a "fantastic" resource that is "absolutely packed with information" useful to amateur astronomers. Noting the timeliness of Bortolotti's book, John Peters predicted in School Library Journal that "serious students and casual browsers alike will have trouble putting this down."

Moving to earthbound studies, Bortolotti contributed Panda Rescue and Tiger Rescue to the "Firefly Animal Rescue" series, which focuses on wildlife trouble spots on our own planet. After profiling the animal under study, the author then discusses the factors that threaten each species, some involving long-held local customs and others a result of an expanding human population. With the threat to each species recognized, some conservation measures have already been enacted, and Bortolotti includes an overview of these programs, while also focusing on ways in which specific threats might also be averted. Praising Bortolotti's "engaging writing style" as well as the photographs in each book, School Library Journal contributor Kathy Piehl dubbed the series "fascinating" and "readable." In Booklist Gillian Engberg also noted the author's "accessible, lively language" and Bortolotti's inclusion of useful information and reference sources, while Linda Irvine praised both Tiger Rescue and Panda Rescue in a Resource Links review, citing their realistic depiction of animal species and the inclusion of information "on the cultural and economic issues around protection of species."

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklist, December 1, 2003, Carolyn Phelan, review of Exploring Saturn, p. 674; January 1, 2004, Gillian Engberg, review of Panda Rescue: Changing the Future for Endangered Wildlife, p. 850; September 15, 2004, Donna Chavez, review of Hope in Hell: Inside the World of Doctors without Borders, p. 188.

Kliatt, January, 2004, Janet Julian, review of Exploring Saturn, p. 35.

Library Journal, October 1, 2004, Tina Neville, review of Hope in Hell, p. 103.

Publishers Weekly, August 9, 2004, review of Hope in Hell, p. 237.

Resource Links, February, 2004, Heather Empey, review of Exploring Saturn, p. 20; February, 2004, Linda Irvine, review of Panda Rescue and Tiger Rescue, p. 43.

School Library Journal, April, 2004, Kathy Piehl, review of Panda Rescue:, p. 166; May, 2004, John Peters, review of Exploring Saturn, p. 164.