Wild Science: Amazing Encounters Between Animals and the People Who Study Them. Victoria Miles. Vancouver, BC: Raincoast Books, 2004. 168 pp., pbk., $24.95. ISBN 1-55192-618-0. Subject Headings: Endangered species-North America-Juvenile literature. Zoologists-North America-Juvenile literature. Grades 6-9 / Ages 11-14. Review by Val Lem. **½/4

excerpt:

Another new tagging technology, satellite pop-up-tags, holds great promise for leatherback and bluefin tuna research. To pop-up-tag a leatherback, scientists quickly drill a minuscule hole through the female turtle's carapace when she's on the beach to nest. They then anchor a tiny titanium screw under the carapace bone. The buoyant, egg-shaped tag is attached to a short titanium tether and floats just above the turtle's shoulder area. The buoyancy is vital: the tag contains a timer to self-release from the turtle and "pops up" to the ocean surface where its stores of data are transmitted to a satellite. The information is then directed to a data distribution service that deciphers if for Molly [Lutcavage] and her team.

A journalist and children's author, Miles presents 10 engaging, adventure-and information-filled accounts of encounters between scientists and the uncommon, often endangered animals that they study: blue whale, Vancouver Island marmot, polar bear, sea otter, Florida manatee, silver-haired bat, northern gannet, leatherback sea turtle, grizzly bear, and grey wolf.

     Each chapter has four parts: I. From the Field - a news-like, fact-rich description of field research, II. The Scientist - a brief biography of a biologist featured in part I, outlining the origin of his/her interest in the study of animals and the schooling s/he completed in pursuit of a career, III. The Science - an examination of some aspect of research such as the use of radio transmitters to study sea otters, or efforts to restore gannets to former nesting sites, IV. The Animal Notes - brief facts about the featured animal including common and scientific names, order, family, genus, species, brief notes on size/weight, description, reproduction, food, lifespan, status, habitat, and range/distribution. Part IV is often a summary of details already woven into the text. A map illustrating the range would have been a valuable enhancement.

     Colour photographs and line drawings complement the text quite nicely. A one-page glossary corresponds to words appearing in bold in the book and is of questionable value. The meaning of some words like "hibernacula" may be clear from the context; the dictionary definition in the glossary of "metabolic rate (metabolism)" is not very enlightening, and the concept is actually explained more simply on p. 119 of the text. The text is rich in vocabulary that applies to biological and physical sciences, yet many words like "scat" appear neither in the glossary or the index. Despite its omissions, the two-page index is potentially quite valuable, as is the brief list of Resources that includes both websites and books. It's great to see the Canadian Wildlife Service website as the first listing.

     Inadequate proofreading allowed a couple of erroneous conversions from the metric to imperial measurements. A whale's heart is described on p. 4 as 182 kg (100 lbs.) and the temperature -25 Celsius is equated with 77 Fahrenheit on p. 34. Other errors are the confusion of dying and diving on p. 4, and the misprint of Duval County as Duva I County on p. 68. Finally, one paragraph on p. 163 ends mid-sentence.

     Despite these blatant errors, Wild Science will both inform and entertain senior elementary and middle school science students. It has great potential to inspire some to pursue careers in the life sciences.

Recommended with Reservations.

Val Ken Lem is a catalogue librarian and member of the Collections Services Team, Ryerson University Library.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

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Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

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