The Misadventures of Maria The Hutia (Paperback)

The Misadventures of Maria the Hutia is a delightful story about the travels of a wayward Bahamian hutia. Hutias are furry brown rodents that are native to the Bahamas, but they have almost disappeared from the islands due to coastal development and predation by animals that were introduced from other locales. Maria is swept away from her remote island home during a storm. She is rescued by a kindly fish who takes her to Nassau. Maria persuades other animals to escape from a zoo and assist her with the quest to return to her home. These creatures, too, have seen their habitats encroached upon by humans. They seek a quiet refuge where they may lead their lives in solitude, away from the hustle and bustle of the tourist centers in the islands. The book targets a middle school audience and is imaginatively illustrated with black-and-white images. The underlying message speaks to the conflict between the needs of animals in the natural environment and peoples' desires for recreational development in exotic locales. Appended to the end of the book is an encapsulated description of each animal that appears as a character.