Ocean Animals (Survivors Series for Children) - Hardcover

The Survivors series debuts with this duo of books about endangered creatures and the conditions that threaten their existence. In each book, brief essays (of about 100 words) introduce 10 animals, from the well-known gray wolf to the Mount Graham red squirrel, which lives only on one Arizona mountain; from the tiny salt marsh harvest mouse of California to the humpback whale, which weighs "more than six elephants." Focusing on species in and around North America, Turbak adopts a kid-friendly tone (e.g., "If there is a dam nearby, [manatees] like to float in the water rushing out of the dam, like surfing"), which adds even more gravity to his recitations of rudimentary reasons for extinction: human killing, pesticide poisoning, loss of habitat. Watercolor, ink and colored-pencil illustrations endear the animals to young readers without sacrificing accuracy or sobriety. Explanatory labels float around the illustrations, adding information about each creature's anatomy. A rather uninspired appendix recommends that readers learn more about the animals and write letters to Congress. Ages 6-9.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Grade 1-3?While the full-color illustrations in these titles are beautiful, the texts are simplistic and repetitious and do not sufficiently explain the reasons for the near-extinction of the animals discussed or the reasons why they should be saved. Saying only that bald eagles are endangered because of pesticide poisoning does not begin to tell the full story of the near loss of the species and its almost miraculous recovery in recent times. In Ocean, Turbak writes, "Steller sea lions are endangered because people used to kill them for their fur. Today, they sometimes can't find enough food." Why can't they find food, and do people no longer hunt them? "How you can help" pages suggest that children write to their congressional representatives to ask that these animals be protected, but do not suggest how they will be protected and from what. Two books that are lovely to look at, but lacking in content.?Eva Elisabeth Von Ancken, Trinity Pawling School, NY
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.