Dolphin Babies : Making a Splash

Children's Literature - Marilyn Courtot

Set in Hawaii, the authors follow four captive bottlenose dolphins all of whom are expecting their first calves. Human veterinarians and trainers worked to help these tame dolphins with their pregnancies and provide further assistance during the first year of the calves' lives. Dolphin babies born in the wild to first time mothers only have a 20 percent chance of surviving to age one. In the Dolphin Quest facility, three of the calves successfully reached their first birthdays. It is all documented in a clear and readable text and excellent photographs. There are notes, suggested readings and an annotated bibliography.

School Library Journal

Gr 4-6-The mother and baby in the initial photograph of this book introduce readers to the world of four pregnant dolphins in the protected lagoon of the Dolphin Learning Center in Hawaii. Full-color photographs dominate the double-page spreads. Without details of the mating process itself or diagrams or drawings of developing fetuses, the narrative and photographs provide such introductory information as age at parenthood, duration of pregnancy, birth, and immediate care of the newborns. This information is seamlessly sprinkled throughout a text that deceptively seems merely to caption the engaging photographs. Since these pregnancies and births took place under the watchful eyes of trainers, veterinarians, and tourists, the narrative emphasizes the care provided by humans. Almost everything is photographed, including these mammals in advanced pregnancy, 100 pounds heavier, resting their bellies on the sand in shallow water. The tension builds to the drama of each birth and the question of each infant's survival. Virginia Schomp's The Bottlenose Dolphin (Dillon, 1994) has more information about bottlenose dolphin mating, growth, and development but the chatty text and inviting photographs here provide a unique look.-Frances E. Millhouser, Chantilly Regional Library, VA