Total Pageviews

Saturday, February 23, 2019

The Seal Garden, by Ian McAllister and Nicholas Read. Orca Book Publishers, 2018. $19.95 ages 8 and up

"Sometimes there are hundreds of marine mammals in a seal garden. They feed on the fish, bob like corks on the ocean's surface and wrap themselves into long copper-colored seaweed called kelp for afternoon naps. Harbor seals laze in the middle of the seal garden ... "

In this third book for the My Great Bear Rainforest series, Ian McAllister and Nicholas Read look to the sea. The first two featured animals of the land ... the bear, and the wolf. This is definitely a set of books worth having for younger readers, with enough information to educate and enlighten without overdoing it for them.

The Great Bear Rainforest on British Columbia's north and central coastline is an amazing and protected environment for the many animals who thrive there. The authors include otters and fish alongside the seals as an integral part of the marine life threatened mainly by orcas and weather. Kids will be intrigued to check out the gorgeous photographs that show how the inhabitants manage to hide from inherent danger.

The seal gardens provide perfect and welcome protection for the animals who find refuge there. Too small for the larger predators to get inside, they offer much needed cover. Rocks along the coast also keep seals out of harm's way by keeping predators back from the dangerous shoreline.

"Orcas like to sneak up on their prey, so the fact that the seals saw them first is bad news for the whales. Even so, once they spot the seals, they chase them all the way back to the seal garden. They can see all the seals, sea lions, sea otters and river otters inside the garden, but they're too big to enter it."

The orcas prove to be patient, causing the many animals in the garden stress and worry. Finally, they decide to move on. Whew!

You can hear from the excerpts that this information book reads like a story for young readers while also teaching about this beautiful environment. It will make a great addition to your nonfiction collection for early to middle graders.

No comments:

Post a Comment