Sea Otters

Children's Literature

This volume from the "Nature Book" series gives young readers basic facts about sea otters. The short chapters (1-3 pages of text) have conversational titles¾Meet the Sea Otter!, What Are Sea Otters?, What Do Sea Otters Look Like? Additional chapters cover what sea otters eat, their social life, swimming ability, how they stay warm, the rearing of young, their predators and how sea otters were hunted to the brink of extinction. The book's format is simple and uncluttered; each two-page spread has one page of text accompanied by a full-page, color photograph. The wide margins, large double-spaced print and clear text are appropriate for young readers. The photographs, while appealing, lack variety. With one exception, all are close-ups of otters floating at the surface. The book would be strengthened by additional photographs of the sea otter's underwater habitat, as well as photographs of several prey species (urchins and abalone) mentioned in the text but unfamiliar to most children. The volume includes a table of contents, a glossary of terms (printed in bold in the text), an index and a list of web sites for more information on sea otters. 2001, The Child's World/Nature Books, Turner