About Marine Mammals: A Guide for Children

by Cathryn Sill, John Sill (Illustrator)

Overview

A classroom favorite, this book provides a first glimpse of marine mammals that's ideal for budding oceanographers!

In this beginner's guide, author and educator Cathryn Sill simply and clearly shows children what is essential for understanding and appreciating marine mammals—how they look, how they move, what they eat, and where they live. She covers animals as diverse as whales and otters to dolphins, polar bears, and more.

The beautifully detailed, realistic paintings of noted wildlife illustrator John Sill depict a variety of marine mammals. An afterword provides more details for further exploration.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781561459063
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	08/02/2016
Series:	About. . . , #19
Pages:	48
Product dimensions:	8.60(w) x 10.20(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Cathryn Sill, a graduate of Western Carolina University, was an elementary school teacher for thirty years. She is the author of more than twenty-five prize-winning nonfiction picture books about animals and habitats. She has created three nature series especially for pre-K and kindergarten students. She lives in North Carolina.

John Sill holds a BS in wildlife biology from North Carolina State University. Combining his knowledge of wildlife and artistic skill, John has achieved an impressive reputation as a wildlife artist and received many awards. He has illustrated more than twenty-five books in the About... and About Habitats series. He lives in North Carolina.

Editorial Reviews

06/06/2016
The Sill spouses add to their long-running About... series with a lovely study of more than a dozen aquatic mammals, all captured in wildlife illustrator John Sill’s handsome watercolors. Full-bleed images of humpback whales, polar bears, West Indian manatees, walruses, belugas, and other creatures in their native habitats appear opposite minimal text that focuses on traits common to most or all of these mammals (“Baby marine mammals drink milk from their mother’s body”), rather than getting too species-specific, keeping readers’ focus on the art. An afterword provides deeper detail about the featured animals. Ages 3–8. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

"Dependable fare for budding naturalists." —Kirkus Reviews

"A solid nonfiction treat for budding naturalists." —Booklist

"A lovely study of more than a dozen aquatic mammals, all captured in wildlife illustrator John Sill's handsome watercolors." —Publishers Weekly

"This broad introduction to marine mammals covers major characteristics, using illustrations rendered in soft hues to captivate readers. . . A serviceable addition for young children interested in ocean wildlife." —School Library Journal

From the Publisher

07/01/2016
PreS-Gr 1—This broad introduction to marine mammals covers major characteristics, using illustrations rendered in soft hues to captivate readers. Basic ideas about habitat, diet, behavior, and biology are conveyed through simple sentences with a focus on similarities and differences. For instance, the sentence "They [marine mammals] may live in warm tropical water…or in cold polar seas" is accompanied by a large illustration of spinner dolphins in bright water near an island and an image of a polar bear on an iceberg surrounded by darker water. Because the text is fairly general, young readers may not understand how these creatures differ from or stack up against other aquatic life. Educators and caregivers will likely need to preempt or follow up this reading with a bit more context. The two concluding spreads promote a simple but true message on ocean preservation ("It is important to protect marine mammals and the places where they live."). An afterword expands on each species featured and provides a bit more about marine mammals in general. VERDICT A serviceable addition for young children interested in ocean wildlife.—Nancy Call, Santa Cruz Public Libraries, Aptos, CA

School Library Journal

2016-06-01
For the 16th entry in their About… wildlife series, the Sills look to the oceans.In no readily discernible order, the illustrator depicts 18 marine mammals, from sea otters to blue whales—including polar bears and also a vanishingly rare porpoise called the vaquita—in neatly drawn and brushed watercolor portraits. Opposite each picture is an identifying label, along with a very simple line or two about characteristics common to most of these creatures: "All marine mammals must come to the surface of the water to breathe air." The illustrations offer toned-down doses of naturalistic visual detail throughout, such as a porpoise giving birth and an orca chowing down on a shark; selective additions of other creatures provide a helpful sense of scale in several images. A closing gallery of thumbnail-size reproductions of the pictures provides amplifications of the narrative's general statements (baby whales and dolphins compensate for their lack of lips by rolling their tongues into straws to suckle, a takeaway fact if ever there was one). The message that these animals and the oceans in or on which they live need conservation comes through clearly. Dependable fare for budding naturalists. (bibliography, websites) (Informational picture book. 6-8)

Kirkus Reviews