If A Dolphin Were A Fish

July 1, 2006
K-Gr 2 -A bottlenose dolphin wonders what being a different animal would be like. This conceit is used to teach facts about other creatures; for example, if Delfina were a fish, she -d spend her time entirely underwater and not have to come to the surface to breathe. When she wonders what it would be like to be a sea turtle, she has a turtle shell; when she wonders about manatees, she eats plants. However, when she imagines being a bird, she is almost unrecognizable; some children will have trouble finding her on the page, and the bird is not identified as a pelican. The colored-pencil illustrations are muted and sometimes confusing; Delfina swims by icebergs on one page and in a reef on another. The story presents only minimal facts about dolphins, never even mentioning that they are mammals, and the text is simply not interesting enough to read aloud. Back matter includes more facts and a reproducible -Dolphin Adaptation Craft. - For a story about dolphins, try Lambert Davis -s "Swimming with Dolphins" (Scholastic, 2004). For facts, there are plenty of easy choices, including Allan Fowler -s "Friendly Dolphins" (Children -s Press, 1997)." -Susan Oliver, Tampa-Hillsborough Public Library System, FL"

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