THE SEAL GARDEN

Seals and sea lions shelter in a protected area of the Great Bear Sea, safe from stormy weather and prowling orcas.

McAllister, a photographer with more than 20 years of experience in the temperate rainforest along Canada’s Pacific coast, again teams up with Canadian journalist Read. This third in their series for younger readers uses McAllister’s photographs to illustrate a slim storyline about seals, sea lions, and other creatures who take cover from a storm in rocky areas larger animals can’t penetrate. Striking images, both above and under the water, show wide-eyed seals and the larger sea lions (but not the sea otters also mentioned). Later, when the storm is over, a group of orcas appears, circling around the entrance. In the clear, sunlit water, they can see the smaller mammals, but they can’t reach them. Kelp and other underwater vegetation provide a leafy backdrop to the scene. After the orcas move on, a final spread looks up at a group of seals on a barnacle-covered rock, once again comfortable in their world. Able readers who want to know more about this underwater world will enjoy The Great Bear Sea (2013), by the same team.

An attractive addition to settings where Wolf Island (2017) and A Bear’s Life (2017) have been popular.