A Harbor Seal Pup Grows Up

October 1, 2001
Gr 1-3-These books follow three animals that live on nature preserves from birth to independence. Each page includes a few sentences of large-print type about the featured animal's life and development and a full-color photo. Puck, a Caribbean flamingo living at Busch Gardens in Tampa, FL, has parents that take turns watching over him until he is about seven months of age. Sidney, an orphaned harbor seal, is rescued by Seal Watch at about three weeks of age, and finds a new home at a sea-mammal center until she is ready to be returned to the wild. Finally, Kipper begins life in his mother's pouch not much bigger than a kidney bean. During the next 13 months, he learns to hop, climbing in and out of his mother's pouch, and napping in the hot sun at the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Brisbane, Australia. Students writing reports may need to supplement these selections with other titles, as there is not a lot of detail concerning habits and habitats. Overall, though, the books are attractive and will enhance science collections.-Roxanne Burg, Thousand Oaks Library, CA

Copyright 2001 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2001
\deflang1033\pard\plain\f3\fs24 Reviewed with Joan Hewett's \plain\f3\fs24" A Kangeroo Joey Grows Up.\plain\f3\fs24

Gr. 1-3. The Hewetts give children an intimate look at the early life of an abandoned harbor seal pup nurtured by humans at an animal rescue center and a newborn kangaroo joey growing up in a nature preserve in these entries in the new Baby Animals series, which focuses on young endangered animals as they learn to swim, hop, growl, or fly. The short sentences, large print, and simple vocabulary are just right for new readers. Color photos on every page help draw children into the text. A short section at the end of each book offers more facts about the animal; there's also a time line of early development. Have other materials on hand to fill in more background, but these will be good for children who love animals and prefer fact to fiction when practicing reading skills. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2001, American Library Association.)