The Secret Life of Clams

October 15, 2014

Extolling the virtues of clams, Fredericks (education, York Coll., PA) presents facts on the creature's classification, physiology, reproduction, and habitats, as well as archaeological evidence of human consumption of clams, their geographical distribution, harvesting, and aquaculture. Fredericks is a prolific writer of children's books, and his prose style is highly informal, with many digressions from the subject. The reader learns about his childhood at Newport Beach, CA; sf films; TV programs; the human life span; and tribal burial practices along the way. Clams in art (Botticelli's Birth of Venus), song and movie titles featuring the creatures, and English-language phrases ("happy as a clam") are touched upon to pique our interest. More to the point are an account of a visit to a commercial shellfish company in Seattle, an explanation of tides, and a section on the nutritional benefits of clams. Commercial clam aquaculture and clam gathering techniques of the amateur clammer are presented. Recipes, a list of clam shacks by region, festivals, mail-order companies, and directions on the storing, cleaning and preparation of the shellfish are covered, as well as "Fast Facts," that appear in boxes throughout the text. VERDICT The folksy writing style may appeal to some general readers, to middle school and high school students, and to clam diggers, beachgoers, and seafood lovers. Other works on single species, such as Richard Ellis's Tuna (2008) and James Prosek's Eels (2010) are more sophisticated and organized in presentation, but this reviewer found no other nonspecialized titles on clams.--Judith B. Barnett, Univ. of Rhode Island Lib., Kingston

Copyright 2014 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2014
Clamming up may denote resolute silence, but Fredericks' disquisition on clams leaves no fact about these bivalves unremarked or uncelebrated. On sandy shorelines of both the nation's East and West Coasts, clams abound, and aficionados seek them out for their briny goodness. Fredericks runs down the list of all the varieties of clams that people eat, from the little Manila to the enormous geoduck so prized by Asian gourmets. He takes pains to champion clams' superiority to rival oysters. Outlining the clam's reproductive cycle, the author shows how the clam depends on environmental factors such as water temperature and salinity. He visits clam farms to assess their ability to control breeding, raising, and harvesting clams for market. Fredericks' infectious enthusiasm for his subject makes him sound like a high-school science teacher, and his breezy style leads him to record in sidebars facts frequently only tangentially related to clams themselves.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)