Another wonder of the animal world, adeptly displayed.
The largest fish in the ocean, whale sharks are threatened by commercial fishing, climate change, and lack of scientific knowledge.
Once again, Markle (The Great Rhino Rescue, 2018, etc.) ably introduces a vanishing species to her wide audience. She grabs their attention with a suspenseful opening: Two not-yet-grown sharks (16 and 22 feet long) are accidentally trapped by the purse seine of a commercial fishing boat. Before she relieves readers with an account of their rescue, she has introduced the species, described their “oceans of problems,” and explained the tools scientists have developed to investigate their “mysterious life.” Strictly speaking, this is less about that rescue and more about the developing research that may save the species, listed as endangered in 2016, but Markle and her publisher may be forgiven the title which sets this solidly in her Science Discoveries series. As in previous entries, her clear and well-organized exposition is supported by lively design, diagrams, maps, and eye-catching photographs, including one of the trapped juveniles. Short stand-alone sections compare whale sharks to humpback whales, describe the shark’s filter feeding, and explain how researchers identify individual sharks by their patterns of spots and stripes. Finally, she notes that great white sharks need our help, too, concluding with some words about her research and a few additional facts.
Another wonder of the animal world, adeptly displayed. (author’s note, additional facts, timeline, source notes, glossary, further reading, index, photo acknowledgments) (Nonfiction. 9-14)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5415-1041-8
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Millbrook/Lerner
Review Posted Online: July 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2019
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Tidbits of information and crisp, engaging photographs will entice browsers, while students needing information for...
An introduction to the Arab world through the arts and sciences developed in the many countries of the Middle East and North Africa and other regions where Arab culture flourished.
One-to-four–page introductions to many topics brim busily with excellent color photographs and provide readers with background information on education, astronomy, weaponry, architecture, food, medical discoveries, arts and crafts, religion, and everyday inventions such as mattresses and hard soap. Arab women get a little specific attention near the end, and the last few pages are devoted to contemporary life, but there is no focus on political issues. This positive celebration of learning, ingenuity and culture seeks to highlight the contributions of Arabs from earlier centuries and to make contemporary connections, occasionally with a little too much emphasis. For example, Ammar al-Mawsili is mentioned as being the inventor of “a special syringe and a hollow needle that he used to suck the cataract out of the eye,” and the author avers that today’s surgeons use similar techniques and equipment. While that may be true, earlier Indian, Greek, Roman and Egyptian developments are omitted, giving readers a simplistic view of the history of ophthalmology. Despite weaknesses, this survey definitely fills a niche.
Tidbits of information and crisp, engaging photographs will entice browsers, while students needing information for substantive research projects will need additional resources on many topics. (bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 11-14)Pub Date: July 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-55451-476-2
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Annick Press
Review Posted Online: May 28, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2013
As much an invitation to readers to visit this unspoiled area as a description of its wonders, this is a commendable...
“[W]ithout a Great Bear Sea to feed and nurture it, there would be no Great Bear Rainforest.”
Third in a series of explorations of the coastal wilderness where the author/photographer lives and works in British Columbia, this title focuses on the creatures of the water surrounding and supporting that temperate rain forest. Chapter by chapter, the authors build up the web of life in this area, from microscopic plankton to the orcas they call “wolves of the sea.” Spawning salmon aren’t only food for wolves and bears, their carcasses decompose on the forest floor and nourish the trees. In the shallow waters of the intertidal zone, large animals (and humans) find shellfish and more. Sea otters clown in the kelp beds; seals and sea lions dine on the fish. Dolphins and porpoises dance offshore, and whales feed there in the warmer seasons. Every spread includes at least one of McAllister’s striking photographs. Sidebars called “Maritime Morsels” add explanations that supplement the lengthy, informative text. Chapters are headed with a stylized salmon image by Martin Campbell, a local Heiltsuk artist.
As much an invitation to readers to visit this unspoiled area as a description of its wonders, this is a commendable complement to The Sea Wolves and The Salmon Bears (both 2010). (bibliography, index) (Nonfiction. 9-14)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4598-0019-9
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Orca
Review Posted Online: July 30, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2013
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