Seals and Sea Lions. (The Living Ocean). Bobbie Kalman & John Crossingham. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2006. 32 pp., pbk. & cl., $8.06 (pbk.), $20.76 (RLB). ISBN 0-7787-1323-7 (pbk.), ISBN 0-7787-1301-6 (RLB). Subject Headings: Seals (Animals)-Juvenile literature. Sea lions-Juvenile literature. Grades 3-5 / Ages 8-10. Review by Harriet Zaidman. **** /4
	Tropical Oceans. (The Living Ocean). Kelley MacAulay & Bobbie Kalman. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2006. 32 pp., pbk. & cl., $8.06 (pbk.), $20.76 (RLB). ISBN 0-7787-1322-9 (pbk.), ISBN 0-7787-1300-8 (RLB). Subject Headings: Marine biology-Tropics-Juvenile literature. Oceans-Tropics. Grades 3-5 / Ages 8-10. Review by Harriet Zaidman. **** /4
	Skates and Rays. (The Living Ocean). Rebecca Sjonger & Bobbie Kalman. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2006. 32 pp., pbk. & cl., $8.06 (pbk.), $20.76 (RLB). ISBN 0-7787-1325-3 (pbk.), ISBN 0-7787-1303-2 (RLB). Subject Headings: Skates (Fishes)-Juvenile literature. Rays (Fishes)-Juvenile literature. Grades 3-5 / Ages 8-10. Review by Harriet Zaidman. **** /4
	Wonderful Whales. (The Living Ocean). Bobbie Kalman. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2006. 32 pp., pbk. & cl., $8.06 (pbk.), $20.76 (RLB). ISBN 0-7787-1324-5 (pbk.), ISBN 0-7787-1302-4 (RLB). Subject Heading: Whales-Juvenile literature. Grades 3-5 / Ages 8-10. Review by Harriet Zaidman. **** /4

excerpt:

Seals and sea lions do not use their sense of smell to find food in water. On land, however, their sense of smell is important. Each animal has a different scent, so a group of seals and sea lions can recognize one another by their smells.

For example, a mother knows the scent of her pup and sniffs the air to locate it in a crowd. Certain smells also tell males that females are ready to mate, or join together to make babies. (From Seals and Sea Lions.)

"The Living Ocean” series from Crabtree Books is full of scientific information explained clearly for the targeted age group of children. Precise drawings and bright colour pictures engage the eye, always accompanied by interesting facts. Each book is 32 pages long, with a title page, table of contents, fourteen two-page chapters, a glossary of terms and an index.

     Each two-page spread is laid out cleanly, making good use of colour and white space (there is one exception to this on one page in Wonderful Whales where the text is printed on a dark blue background). Colour is used thoughtfully, as in Wonderful Whales which informs the reader that there are two subgroups of whales, baleen and toothed. The baleen group is then presented on a mauve background while the toothed subgroup swims on a peach colour, giving a child another way to associate the mammals.

     All the important topics that relate to the subject matter are discussed, from the physical structure of the animal, feeding habits, defences, habitat and how pollution and human activities affect each species.

The careless actions of people put tropical oceans in danger. When people throw garbage on beaches, the garbage eventually washes into oceans. The tides carry the garbage along the coasts and far into the open ocean. Some ocean animals die when they eat garbage that they mistake for food. Other animals are killed when they become tangled in garbage and cannot swim. When the tides cause garbage to smash into coral reefs, it damages the reefs or causes parts of the reefs to break off. When the reefs are destroyed, many tropical ocean animals lose their homes and the areas in which they find their food. (From Tropical Oceans.)

     These books contain the latest information about the living sea, including the death and destruction wrought by the South Asian tsunami of December 26, 2004, and Hurricane Katrina, which swept in from the ocean and destroyed the Gulf Coast in the United States in August 2005.

     Children will find these books interesting to read and useful for school projects.

Highly Recommended.

Harriet Zaidman is a teacher-librarian in Winnipeg, MB.

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

Copyright © the Manitoba Library Association. Reproduction for personal use is permitted only if this copyright notice is maintained. Any other reproduction is prohibited without permission.

Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

Hosted by the University of Manitoba.

 

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