I didn't read the other books in the series before picking up this one, but that wasn't a problem. this can be read as a stand alone, although there are references to occurrences in the other books.

It's lambing time, and Jasmine loves to help her parents keep an eye as the newborns arrive. When her brother and her discover two baby birds in the hay in the stall, they decide to take them in and raise them...although that isn't an easy thing to do. But when a new lamb's mother die, she has another baby to care for. Add the fact that someone has been stealing entire sheep herds, and she's got a lot on her plate to worry about.

This is one of those books, which is simply a good, well-done, wholesome read. And still, it grabs and even hits exciting tension toward the end. Jasmine is a kind girl with a huge love for animals. Her family has the usual tug and push, which comes with every day life, and both her mother and father are very busy. That leaves Jasmine with several responsibilities, and this also makes her interesting. She knows how to handle the newborn lambs and knows when to ask for help. And she's not perfect, either. She makes mistakes, argues with her siblings, and sometimes does things she know her parents wouldn't necessarily approve of. In other words, she's a normal girl.

The tale rotates around Jasmine's life on her family's farm, and I was afraid this meant a slow paced read. But it's not. The family in and outs, animals she needs to care for, unexpected twists, and high tension at the end made this a read which holds attention from beginning to end.

It's not hard to see why this series does so well, and I can really recommend it to those readers from grades 2 to 4.
I received a complimentary copy and enjoyed this even more than I thought I would. ( )

This is the first book I have read from the Jasmine Green Rescues series and I think it is a wonderful story for children and will be gifting it to my nieces. ( )

Sweet story of love of animals! I enjoyed the friendship between Jasmine and her best friend, Tom and their love of animals. I had the 11 year old daughter of a friend read this book and she loved it, although she said it was scary when the sheep were kidnapped and Jasmine and her dad went and found them and got them back from the bad people.
Except for that part, the story is sweet and gentle. ( )

The Jasmine Green series is a lovely little series. Jasmine is an animal lover and wants to run an animal rescue center when she grows up. In this book Jasmine rescues two baby birds and hides them from her parents at first. She knows that it is very possible that baby birds will not survive but she and her friend Tom want to try. They look up how to care for wild baby birds and begin to care for them. Jasmine lives on a farm that he father runs and her mother is a vet, so animal care is huge.

Jasmine helps her father check the sheep and sees that one ewe is dead. There is a newborn lamb near her and Jasmine cleans it up and takes it inside to help him get warm. Jasmine's parents tell her that she cannot have another pet. (Previous books tell of other pets she has rescued.) There is a discussion about what is best for the animal and Jasmine knows this is true. However, she does get to help with the baby lamb until he is fostered with another ewe. Of course, the baby birds make enough noise so that Jasmine's parents learn of the bird rescue. Jasmine is allowed to keep the baby birds until they are able to be released and will be allowed to help with the baby lamb, too.

Problems come when the Green family sheep are all stolen in the middle of the night. Jasmine helps with this problem and is instrumental in helping to solve the mystery and the return of their sheep.

I like very much that children who read this book learn about the care of animals and the rescue of them. They learn some great vocabulary along with what it is like to care for and release animals.

This is a fairly easy chapter book with short chapters about 8 - 10 pages long. The illustrations really help explain some things that children may not know such as an AGA stove for one. I would estimate this to be about a 3rd or 4th grade reading level. It looks like this is the seventh Jasmine Green book. I know that when I put this in my library students will clamor for the other books, too. ( )

What a wonderful series to discover! I would have loved Jasmine Green and her animal rescue stories as a young reader. What I most appreciate is the gentle but realistic descriptions of the challenges of raising livestock on a farm and helping wild animals in distress. I also love that Jasmine's father is a farmer and her mother is a veterinarian.
Writer Helen Peters skillfully presents factual information in a caring, empathetic story that keeps the welfare of various animals in the foreground. The central story of this book concerns an orphaned lamb but baby birds, a dog, and other animals are also included.
These stories are geared toward elementary school readers who love animals and enjoy chapter books. A great precursor for future readers of James Herriot's books! 4 1/2 **** ( )