Honey Girl: The Hawaiian Monk Seal

by Jeanne Walker Harvey, Shennen Bersani

Overview

Hawaiian locals and visitors always enjoy spotting endangered Hawaiian monk seals, but Honey Girl is an extra special case. She has raised seven pups, and scientists call her “Super Mom.” After Honey Girl is injured by a fishhook, she gets very sick. Scientists and veterinarians work to save Honey Girl so she can be released back to the ocean. This true story will have readers captivated to learn more about this endangered species. This work of narrative nonfiction includes a 4-page For Creative Minds section in the back of the book and a 30-page cross-curricular Teaching Activity Guide online. Honey Girl is vetted by experts and designed to encourage parental engagement. Its extensive back matter helps teachers with time-saving lesson ideas, provides extensions for science, math, and social studies units, and uses inquiry-based learning to help build critical thinking skills in young readers. The Spanish translation supports ELL and dual-language programs. The enhanced ebook reads aloud in both English and Spanish with word highlighting and audio speed control to promote oral language skills, fluency, pronunciation, text engagement, and reading comprehension.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781628559248
Publisher:	Arbordale Publishing
Publication date:	02/10/2017
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	10 MB
Age Range:	4 - 9 Years

About the Author

Jeanne Walker Harvey is the author of several award-winning books, including Astro: The Steller Sea Lion and My Hands Sing the Blues: Romare Bearden's Childhood Journey. She's been a language arts teacher and currently gives school tours at a local museum. Jeanne lives near the Golden Gate Bridge in California and walks by the bay every day looking for sea lions. She writes with her gray tabby cat sitting on the desk next to her. Visit her website at jeanneharvey.com

Shennen Bersani is an award-winning illustrator with 2 million copies of her books cherished and read by children, parents, and teachers throughout the world. Her art delivers heartfelt emotion, the wonders of nature and science, and creates a unique joy for learning. Some of Shennen's other illustrated works include A Case of Sense, Animal Partners; Sea Slime: It's Eeuwy, Gooey and Under the Sea; Shark Baby; Home in the Cave; Astro: The Steller Sea Lion; The Glaciers are Melting!, and Once Upon an Elephant, for Arbordale. She is also the author and illustrator of Achoo! Why Pollen Counts. Shennen lives near Boston. Visit her website at www.shennenbersani.com.

Editorial Reviews

"Honey Girl is well-known in her habitat of the waters off northern Oahu...this very personal story should engage animal-loving readers. -Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

08/01/2017
Gr 1–4—When Honey Girl, an endangered Hawaiian monk seal, is found with a fishhook in her cheek and her tongue cut by fishing line, scientists begin the difficult task of trying to help her. They carefully remove the fishhook and save part of her tongue, and slowly but surely Honey Girl begins to eat fish on her own again. When she is released, scientists track her and make sure she is gaining weight. They are surprised and happy to find that Honey Girl will be having a baby seal, and make sure no one bothers the endangered seals while they are on the beach. Honey Girl makes a recovery and even becomes a grandmother. The importance of protecting animals like Honey Girl and making sure their environment is safe is conveyed through text and the well-lit illustrations. The care the scientists take in helping Honey Girl is evident, and young readers will be able to find out more through the informative back matter, which describes the life cycle of Hawaiian monk seals and details conservation efforts to save them. VERDICT An important book to place in the hands of all future conservationists. Highly recommended.—Selenia Paz, Helen Hall Library, League City, TX

School Library Journal

2016-12-06
Honey Girl is well-known in her habitat of the waters off northern Oahu. Called monk seals because their loose neck skin resembles a monk's cowl, most of these animals live near the uninhabited Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, but some regularly live near the main Hawaiian Islands and they are designated the state mammal. Although her species is endangered (for many reasons listed in the fact-filled backmatter), Honey Girl has managed to live and bear many pups, so many that she is locally known as "Super Mom." This book examines one period in her life when veterinarians operate on her after she is injured by a large fishhook that's punctured her cheek and fishing line that's been wrapped around her tongue. When she is finally released, scientists track her whereabouts, and a fascinating map is created and shown in the book. She continues to thrive and have other pups, even becoming a grandmother several years after the miracle operation that saves half her tongue. The text is sometimes awkward, concentrating on getting the story down more than on craft. The natural backgrounds, especially the intense blue waters, in the bright illustrations are striking, but the animals and people are not as accomplished. Though a bit rough around the edges, this very personal story should engage animal-loving readers. (additional information, activities) (Informational picture book. 5-9)

Kirkus Reviews