Super Swimmers

Children's Literature - Judy Crowder

When children think of animals living and swimming in the vast oceans, they naturally think of fish, sea turtles, or even sea birds, like penguins. Surely mammals are better suited for living on land: they breathe air, they are warm-blooded, they give birth to live babies and nurse them. Do you think so? As Arnold points out in this nicely written and beautifully illustrated book, aquatic mammals are well-adapted for ocean life. Think of whales and dolphins. Their bodies are streamlined, while seals and walruses are torpedo-shaped with small heads and long, round torsos that taper to powerful tails. Sea Otters are great divers that prey on sea urchins, and then anchor themselves on the surface with floating kelp, using their bellies as dinner tables or cribs for their babies. Although polar bears are seen on land, they are powerful swimmers who travel and hunt in the water. This book also does a lovely job of pointing out specialties of some marine mammals, like echolocation for toothed whales, tusks that walruses use to pull themselves onto ice, walrus whiskers, adapted to help them feel for food on the ocean floor, or the partially webbed feet of polar bears. This book is a treasure trove of fascinating facts, accompanied by breathtaking illustration. It is a must-have for any public, school, classroom or personal library.

Kirkus Reviews

Whales, dolphins and porpoises, seals, sea lions and walruses, sea otters, polar bears, manatees and dugongs are the marine mammals described in this attractive offering. Wynne, a professional science illustrator, enlivens the clear, short descriptions of the different species and explanations of how they swim, dive, breathe, eat and survive in a very different medium, with engaging and well-labeled drawings. The palette of watery blues, grays and occasional brownish-reds supports the subject well. The information is accurate, although not documented, and well-organized both for research and for browsing. Illustrations of some creatures who share the ocean environment decorate the verso, and a few freshwater swimmers are described at the end. A final page showing a group of children watching sea mammals from the bow of a boat connects the topic to the intended reader. There is also a short glossary. An appealing and useful purchase. (Nonfiction. 6-10)