VANISHING ANIMALS OF THE WATER Lydia Bailey Illustrated by Olena Kassian Richmond Hill (Ont.), Scholastic Canada, 1993. 22pp, paper, $4.95 ISBN 0-590-73063-0. (Vanishing Animals of the World, 2). CIP Kindergarten to Grade 3/Ages 5 to 8 Reviewed by Hugh A. Cook . Volume 21 Number 4 1993 September A very brief and simplified life history is given for each of the following ten endan­gered water species: humpback whale, whooping crane, Mediterranean monk seal, manatee, polar bear, desert pupfish, Ameri­can crocodile, sea otter, blue whale and green turtle. For each animal the story and illustration take up both facing pages. The colour illustrations would be easily seen by a small class seated near the teacher. There is almost no emphasis placed on why any of the animals are endangered. The final page tells of the great auk, a bird that is now extinct. The reader is warned that without proper care the other animals in this book could also become extinct. There is no suggestion given as to what we should or should not do to help save these endangered species. This is a tough book to judge. It is extremely Primary in thought and very reasonably priced. The illustrations are clear and the story-lines are easy to follow, but they lack a focus. Would I buy it? Probably, if I needed something on this topic for the Primary shelf, but I cannot rave about its good qualities. Hugh A. Cook is a retired North York, Ontario, elementary librarian.