AQUATIC ANIMALS IN THE WILD AND IN CAPTIVITY

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AQUATIC ANIMALS IN THE WILD AND IN CAPTIVITY

Name: AQUATIC ANIMALS IN THE WILD AND IN CAPTIVITY
Author: Patricia Curtis
ISBN: 0-525-67384-9

by Patricia Curtis ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 1992

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Six aquatic habitats (freshwater lakes and wetlands; rivers; estuaries and salt marshes; coasts; coral reefs; and the open sea) and the animals that live in them are described, together with an overview of new aquariums that emphasize displaying animals in naturalistic settings plus chatty facts about birds, mammals, fish and invertebrates living in and around the waterways. The vivid color photos and informational tidbits are intriguing: e.g., the Baltimore Aquarium discovered that the blue poison arrow frog could be induced to lay eggs in the snapoff bottoms of two-liter soda bottles; and a giant Pacific octopus at the Scripps Aquarium supplemented his diet by climbing out of his tank at night and snacking on fish in neighboring tanks. One error will irritate shark fanciers: ``Instead of laying eggs like most other fish, sharks are live-bearers, animals that give birth to living young.'' Some are, yes, but some aren't (as visitors to the Smithsonian Museum shark exhibit will attest). Still, an attractive and informative book—a strong plea for protecting our watery environment and its inhabitants. Index. (Nonfiction. 10-12)

Pub Date: May 1, 1992

ISBN: 0-525-67384-9

Page Count: 60

Publisher: Dutton

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 1992

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CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

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NIM'S ISLAND

by Wendy Orr & illustrated by Kerry Millard ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2001

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A child finds that being alone in a tiny tropical paradise has its ups and downs in this appealingly offbeat tale from the Australian author of Peeling the Onion (1999). Though her mother is long dead and her scientist father Jack has just sailed off on a quick expedition to gather plankton, Nim is anything but lonely on her small island home. Not only does she have constant companions in Selkie, a sea lion, and a marine iguana named Fred, but Chica, a green turtle, has just arrived for an annual egg-laying—and, through the solar-powered laptop, she has even made a new e-mail friend in famed adventure novelist Alex Rover. Then a string of mishaps darkens Nim’s sunny skies: her father loses rudder and dish antenna in a storm; a tourist ship that was involved in her mother’s death appears off the island’s reefs; and, running down a volcanic slope, Nim takes a nasty spill that leaves her feverish, with an infected knee. Though she lives halfway around the world and is in reality a decidedly unadventurous urbanite, Alex, short for “Alexandra,” sets off to the rescue, arriving in the midst of another storm that requires Nim and companions to rescue her. Once Jack brings his battered boat limping home, the stage is set for sunny days again. Plenty of comic, freely-sketched line drawings help to keep the tone light, and Nim, with her unusual associates and just-right mix of self-reliance and vulnerability, makes a character young readers won’t soon tire of. (Fiction. 10-12)

Pub Date: March 1, 2001

ISBN: 0-375-81123-0

Page Count: 144

Publisher: Knopf

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2000

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
OUT OF THE VALLEY OF HORSES
by Wendy Orr

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CUCKOO'S FLIGHT
by Wendy Orr

- BOOK REVIEW
SWALLOW'S DANCE
by Wendy Orr

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THE SCHOOL STORY

by Andrew Clements & illustrated by Brian Selznick ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 1, 2001

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A world-class charmer, Clements (The Janitor’s Boy, 2000, etc.) woos aspiring young authors—as well as grown up publishers, editors, agents, parents, teachers, and even reviewers—with this tongue-in-cheek tale of a 12-year-old novelist’s triumphant debut. Sparked by a chance comment of her mother’s, a harried assistant editor for a (surely fictional) children’s imprint, Natalie draws on deep reserves of feeling and writing talent to create a moving story about a troubled schoolgirl and her father. First, it moves her pushy friend Zoe, who decides that it has to be published; then it moves a timorous, second-year English teacher into helping Zoe set up a virtual literary agency; then, submitted pseudonymously, it moves Natalie’s unsuspecting mother into peddling it to her waspish editor-in-chief. Depicting the world of children’s publishing as a delicious mix of idealism and office politics, Clements squires the manuscript past slush pile and contract, the editing process, and initial buzz (“The Cheater grabs hold of your heart and never lets go,” gushes Kirkus). Finally, in a tearful, joyous scene—carefully staged by Zoe, who turns out to be perfect agent material: cunning, loyal, devious, manipulative, utterly shameless—at the publication party, Natalie’s identity is revealed as news cameras roll. Selznick’s gnomic, realistic portraits at once reflect the tale’s droll undertone and deftly capture each character’s distinct personality. Terrific for flourishing school writing projects, this is practical as well as poignant. Indeed, it “grabs hold of yourheart and never lets go.” (Fiction. 10-12)