Underwater Musicians

From The Critics

Great for classroom education or for report writing, this book's detailed text and interesting classification of animal vocalization as "clickers," "whistlers," or "singers" can help children relate to the varied species. (Some information may be a bit complicated.) The glossary and explanatory chart in back of the book will help kids retain the information. This could be particularly good for budding oceanographers or marine biologists. Part of the "Creatures All Around Us" series. 1998, Carolrhoda Books, Inc., $14.95. Ages 5 to 10. Reviewer: N. Boyd SOURCE: Parent Council Volume 8

Children's Literature - Leila Toledo

Underwater creatures conduct their own symphony of sounds. They grit their teeth, wheeze, moan, grunt, and make clicking sounds. The author begins by showing how we hear sound and how it travels. Readers learn that some sounds are generated to attract mates, others to ward off enemies, and sometimes sounds are just to communicate. Each underwater species has its own unique sound. Croakers are drummers and hummers. Pistol shrimp are poppers. Dolphins are clickers and whistlers, while whales are singers. They have been known to sing for hours during mating season. Part of the "Creatures All Around Us" series.

School Library Journal

Gr 4-6-These two series entries describe unusual appearances or patterns of behavior in fish and other marine animals. Detailed chapters are filled with information, beginning with a general introduction to each subject. Full-color photographs of uneven quality and occasional drawings appear in both titles. Some of the photos are interesting and enticing, yet others make it difficult to judge the scale and size of their subjects. Fish belies its playful title with a detailed description of fish anatomy and physiology. Underwater Musicians begins by describing how sound travels and how it is perceived by humans. The text sometimes assumes knowledge (e.g., walruses are "...mammals like us" without a description of mammalian characteristics), and occasionally the comparisons of animal behavior to familiar human actions strays into anthropomorphizing, e.g., "love songs" of whales or killer whales together sounding like a "roomful of noisy relatives." Both books use boldface type to highlight technical terms, provide pronunciation guides, and define the words in context as well as in the glossary. Each title contains a text table summarizing the information. Serviceable additions.-Frances E. Millhouser, Chantilly Regional Library, VA