Seals

Children's Literature

Teachers and young researchers will find this edition in the "Naturebooks" series to be accessible and interesting. The chapter titles are, for the most part, in question format ("Do Seals Have Many Enemies?") that will encourage curious readers to flip from the table of contents to the answers. Text in each chapter is simple, large and well-written, and is centered nicely on pages. Opposite all text pages are excellent photographs taken by a number of photographers from all over the world. The diverse photographs of seals include the odd-looking and aptly-named elephant seal of California, the smiley Weddell seal of Antarctica, the photogenic harp seal of Canada and the endangered monk seal of Hawaii. Vocabulary presented is challenging but not taxing, and is reinforced in a glossary, which includes pronunciations. (Did you know that animals with flippers instead of arms or legs are called "pinnipeds"?) On the same page with the glossary is a simple index and a list of five websites, which will serve as springboards for many children and teachers to learn more about these endearing marine mammals. 2001, The Child's World,
— Jane Harrington

School Library Journal

K-Gr 3-Mimicking a child's investigative approach to a new topic, each two- to four-page chapter in these slightly oversized volumes begins with a question such as "What Are Seals?" and "Where Do Seals Live?" The straightforward texts and simple sentence structure in combination with large print, ample leading, and wide margins will make these titles especially appealing to new readers. Each double-page spread offers a captioned picture opposite a page of text. The sharp, full-page photographs make the pages visually exciting. Highlighted words can be found in the glossary; others are italicized along with their phonetic pronunciation in context. These volumes also include listings of Web sites of major educational organizations. Solid titles to enhance curriculum studies and great for children who love to peruse animal books.-Tina Hudak, St. Bernard's School, Riverdale, MD Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.