Marine Life Books

We're on our second copy of this book because the first one literally fell apart from being read so often. The three stories are very funny and the artwork's lovely. You'll likely find your kids are memorizing the stories in short order -- which of course means no shortcuts as you're reading!

We've piles of books for our two children and this one's perhaps one of the top five favorites.

Snail's teacher can't figure out what is going on with snail. In each of the 3 chapter's snail shows he has quit an imagination or does it really happen. This is a great book to read to young children 3 and 4 years old or to have your 5 to 7 year old read to you. It will keep a girl's or boy's interested. I have read this book to many children and they have all enjoyed the snails adventures in the hallway at his school. And that frustrated teacher.

My son is only 4, but is an advanced reader/listener. He really enjoys the book. Initially I got it for him because he was interested in snails, but I think he likes the school aspect, and the three different adventures in the book (his first chapter book). If this book was part of a series I would definitly try others.
I also found some of the dialogs and illustration to be amusing for adults as well.

There are 3 stories in this 64 page book, illustrated with large, colorful, interesting pictures. All the stories involve a little snail at school and how he/she engages in fantasy play. Or is reality and not fantasy, or a bit of both? Read it and you be the judge. In every adventure Snail must grapple with Mrs. Harvey the teacher, who likewise must grapple with snail's adventures, and whether they are real or imagined. Mrs Harvey never seems to push the point of how much of snail's adventures are real. As she is about to ask snail, she restrains herself; the stories end with Mrs. Harvey saying "Never mind, snail, never mind". Tom Keresztes Princeton, N

This book made me laugh out loud, and my six year old still talks about the stories in it. The stories and pictures work together to get beginning readers to want to keep on reading. My son was especially excited because he could read a real chapter book, just like big brother. I wish there were more Snail books like this one!

I had been told by many people that this was the definitive book for people looking to setup a shark or ray tank. I had heard nothing but good things about this book and after reading the book I concur with those opinions. The book gives you a great overview though this should be supplementary to other research you do. There is much more information that people will need to know about properly caring for which ever shark they choose and the best way to learn it is through multiple sources. The only thing remotely negative I have to say about the book is the tank sizes listed tend to be smaller than most expert shark keepers would recommend. Other than that this is a great book and a must buy for those looking to start a shark tank.

I have Stingrays and i use this book as my guide. its great!! Very Helpful

It goes into so much detail, from the family to each individual fish (only ones found in aquarium trade though). There is a chapter on common parasites and a range of different treatment methods for both bacterial and parasitic infections, which foods might induce feeding in a new specimen (and which to avoid), size and housing ratios, different methods of filtration, descriptions of many different fishes that can and can't be kept with sharks/rays, a chapter on captive reproduction for many different species and how to care for the newborns, if necessary- how to force feed, materials suitable for custom tanks, plus so much information (ph, specific gravity, copper sensitivity, feeding habits, acclimation to aquarium, degree of rarity in trade- from exceedingly common to rarely seen, ease of captive care, suitable size tank ex.110 gal or whatever number in liters [from metric to imperial applies to dimensions also], to each species distinctive features) about the individual sharks and rays themselves. Plus so much more. A definite 5!

I have read a pre-release version of this book and it is great. Anyone intersted in the aquaria of sharks or rays really needs to get a copy of this book! It is the 1st book ever to deal with the selection and maintaining of sharks and rays in home aquarium. Not only that but the book is very well priced.

This is a great comprehensive view of aquarium sharks and rays. Unfortunately this book points out the truth, sharks are big! Even for a professional marine aquarist such as my self, you'll learn that the husbandry requirements for these animals is often obsured. This is a great book for professionals and those involved in public aquariums. With an overview on breeding, feeding, and health, this book is an excellent introduction to sharks and rays.

-Andy Nicola
Iowa's premire marine aquarist

I purchased this book hoping to get a consolidated overview of the characteristics of bottlenose dolphins, and that's exactly what I got! I appreciated the concise descriptions of the dolphin's physical and behavioral adaptations that lead to a better understanding of the animal overall. I would recommend this book to anyone with a genuine interest in dolphins, conservation of the species, or anyone in the position of caring for this animals as a good resource to keep in their library.

Good to see Samantha successful in life. I knew her back when she was a struggling student at Eckerd College.

She is very smart.

I have read through this book while doing some research on dolphins and marine mammal conservation and must say that this has some information that I could find nowhere else. This book hits on such a large variety of information relating to dolphin biology and conservation that I cannot believe that they fit it all into one book.

The collaborators who put this book together are dedicated scientists with years of experience in the field. I admire their work. But I find on thing missing from the discussion of brain versus body size. They establish ratios of brain to body size and declare this is one method of measuring the intelligence of the animal, i.e. the larger the brain is in relationship to the body, the smarter the animal is. But they do not explain why a large body needs a large brain. After all, whale sharks of the same size as sperm whales have brains smaller than your fist while the sperm whale brain is six times larger than the human brain. Perhaps it is the large brain which requires the large body. The laws of physics would prohibit a brain developing in a very small body. Necks breaking and cortical sheering would be a problem.

A welcome new volume for collectors of top-flight underwater photo books. And a wonderful pictorial introduction to undersea life for the future scuba diver. Amazing shots, representing countless hours of quiet stalking, interspersed with startling chance encounters captured on film.

I have the book. I was wowed by the bright colors and informed by the descriptions. I think that this book has tables all over the world with it's name on it.

Bright Waters is a wonderful resource to use when somebody asks - "What kind of things do you see when you are diving?
The book provides an insight into a beautiful and fascinating world that is so often misunderstood and feared. The pictures are clear and well crafted and the author has provided a wonderful window into the underwater world.

A wonderful coffee-table addition. The two hundred photos of fish, whales, shipwrecks, octopi, and other colorful sea creatures are a delight. Many of the pictures come with accompanying brief text that helps the reader to understand the photo. The book is even more impressive when one understands that the author/photographer is currently 78 years young and took many of these pictures at an age when many of us were just thinking about the La-Z Boy and the television. The book makes me want to get back to scuba diving.

"Bright Waters" is an incredible journey to the depths of the ocean that only a scant few ever witness.
From the darkest, most obscure places--lightened only by the color provided by the nature of the underwater species--the author and artist, Nancy Ferguson, shows an uncanny skill with her camera.
Highlights include the perception of an "angel" on the wing of a stingray, a scorpionfish "lollygagging" comfortably on his ocean "lawn," dazzling, living floral arrangements ready to retreat at any second if disturbed and the graceful eel that appears to have snowflakes--living snowflakes--brightening the moment.
This masterpiece has everything from cup corals and angelfish to fish that have put on their clown makeup to further amaze the senses.
You'll see undersea parrots, kissing fish and the bluest of blue on the banner fish.
And, yes, for you jazz fans, there is the unique trumpet fish...but this one looks like a clarinet!
It's an amazing 200 pages!
This creation...this work of art...this opus...deserves five stars...and more!

How fun, to be in an underwater adventure that is a great expierence for me and my children. This story had so much life and color it is hard not to imagine the wonderful characters of Briny Town!

This is a book filled with excitment and on the edge laughter! Great for the kids and the adults as well!

This is a story that will thrill your children into a underwater adventure filled with great characters! This is also a great story because your children will learn from it!

What an amazing story, it had my kids on the edge of their seat! They were so suprised that the people of Briny Town and the Sharks were able to.... Well, it is a great story!

Fabulous and fantastic characters. My children really enjoyed this book. Not only is it entertaining, but a very creative way to teach children the importance of helping others!

Anyone who has read my other reviews will know that I don't give stars easily but I can find no reason even to deduct a single star from this book. Whether you have been, are going or just want to dream of going this is the book for you. As its title indicates, its prime purpose is to describe the wildlife, and it gives top billing to the birds - all in a level of detail which should satisfy the most demanding birder, but which the average interested amateur naturalist should also find interesting. The authors have sensibly provided a fine set of plates rather than relying on photos as the main identification aid. There are however many good photos as well - this use of both "media" is, as far as my experience goes, unusual in bird books which tend to opt for one or the other when in fact each has its advantages and disadvantages. The section on marine mammals is of a similar quality. Another section comprehensively describes each of the regions (including Sub-Antarctic islands all the way up to Tristan) with information which makes the book useful as a "travel guide" for planning and accompanying a trip (though it is really too fine a book to get damaged in use!). In addition there are good (if relatively short) sections on geology, climate, history, botany etc etc - in fact on just about any relevant subject you could think of. Indeed if you could only have 1 book on the Antarctic this is a very good candidate - and at a very good price!

Basics: 2008, 2nd edition, hardcover, 544 pages, 35 color plates, 920 color photos, range maps

Exquisite. Impressive. Awesome. This is an incredible book for three reasons. One, the thoroughness of information for so large a geographic region is unmatched in any other book I've seen. Two, the depth of coverage for each species leaves the reader wanting for little else. Three, the photos are outstanding and probably offer the best examples available for many of these remote species. A fourth reason just came to mind: I cannot think of one bird species in the region that is not represented with a good color photo.

This book has excellent photos for remote species that 99% of us will only dream about seeing. This is the only book I know of to offer quality photos of all the birds of the Tristan da Cunha islands -- a remote location that has always captured my fancy and wishes. Other sub-antarctic islands like Antipodes, South Georgia, Falklands, Chatham, Campbell, and Aukland islands have their unique species covered.

The text dedicated to each of the bird and mammal species is well written, complete, and invaluable to anyone visiting this sub-polar region. Topics for each include identification, distribution and biology, conservation, and taxonomy. The range maps do a valiant job at trying to capture detail for such a massive area. Viewed from directly above the southern pole, the map shows all of Antarctica along with the southern tips of South America, Africa, Australia, and all of New Zealand. The information in the identification section is detailed and offers great information on the plumage variations and critical differences between similar species.

The author uses the latest taxomonic revisions, which is important for the ongoing flux with albatrosses, petrels, and shearwaters.

The layout of the chapters is a bit different from the typical book. I recommend taking a few moments to first review the contents outline at the very beginning. It helped me to better understand how the species and geographic groups were aligned as I flipped through the pages. There are several distinct sections which include a synopsis of the region, species accounts for birds and mammals, and regional descriptions to cover the many island groups.

The breadth of information in the first 40 and in the last 120 pages of the book is excellent material on the ecology, natural history, and geography of a rarely seen world. It is also a testament to the author's passions, experience, and scientific contributions.

If you ever go south of the S40-degree latitude, you must take this book despite its size and weight. This is also a requirement for your library if you have even the slightest interest in Antarctic wildlife.

I've listed several related books below...
1) Birds And Mammals of the Antarctic, Subantartic And Falkland Islands by Todd
2) Birds of the Antarctic and Sub-Antarctic by Watson
3) Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds: Vol 1-7 by Marchant et.al.

The first edition of this wonderful book of natural history won many prizes and won my heart during a trip to Antarctica, South Georgia and the Falklands a few years ago. It has just been significantly updated and revised and is significantly improved.

It has 920 color photographs and illustrations, including 300 new photographs. There are 128 color distribution maps and up-to-date species accounts including abundance, seasonal status, and conservation prospects. It covers many nonbreeding species, migrants, and vagrants. Sections on albatrosses and petrels have been fully revised.

There are excellent maps of each region, and chapters are devoted to geography, climate, geology, general ecology, and flora. The sections on conservation efforts are excellent and challenging.

There is a useful section on visiting Antarctica and the various islands; my trip was on the Explorer II (the successor to the "little red boat" Explorer I which sank a few months ago). It was a great joy to read this new edition and to relive my wonderful experiences visiting that marvelous part of the world.

Robert C. Ross 2008

Lot of great pictures and very informative articles. This book will definitely be with my camara and computer during my trip to Antarctica.

I brought this book to the Antarctic peninsula with me, only to find a copy already aboard ship. It was still worth carrying.

Yes, good photos, but much better for the information. Details on identifying all sorts of animals, including the territories they can be found in at various times of the year, changes in appearance during the year and even a rather comical phonetic approximation of the sounds they might make.

I bought a lot of books in my year prep for this trip. This was one of the best. Must owning for anyone going south of 50 degrees.

Fantastic. These books are the best I have found to find pictures to use as templets or stencils for designs to paint on silk.

There are wonderful illustrations of reef fish and corals in this nicely illustrated book. Adults can color it with colored pencils to de-stress, and kids can benefit from learning all about the creatures of the coral reef. This also is a very good reference for the graphic artist as well.

This is a book which is accurate in its drawings, with the official names for many, if not all, the different species. I am an adult, a frustrated artist with no talent whatsoever for drawing. I have really enjoyed coloring these pictures with colored pencils. There is a lot of small detail work in some of the pictures, which I think would be difficult with crayons, but of course, all the detail doesn't need to be observed. I have loved this book and have colored 2/3 of the pictures. It is my favorite of the half dozen coloring books I bought. There are completed colored pictures of about a quarter of the drawings, which I appreciate very much, as it gives inspiration to those of us who would like to experiment with shading, etc.

I just purchased these Dover COloring Books for my mother and she loves them. The detail is out of this world and the variety of colors you can use are only limited by your inagination. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

Adults and kids who enjoy art and/or nature will find the books in this series enjoyable. You can simply enjoy putting colors together to create your own world of creatures or flowers (depending upon which book you order) or you can do the research and create a realistic world of color and beauty complete with learning the different names for the fish and under water foliage or the flowers or the butterflies etc in other books. Whether used as a learning tool or just for creative expression adults and children alike enjoy these books. I keep a selection of these types of coloring books around around the house with a very large selection of gel pens and markers for my neices and nephews and they come over frequently to visit while we all sit down to color, nothing else, Though I wouldn't sit to color a regular coloring book, these and the geometric or mandrel design coloring books are more on an adult level and I enjoy sitting with them as we chat about what is happening in their lives as we color. I believe they open up more because the coloring alows them to avoid the intensity of one-on-one coversations about emotional things in their lives. Open a door, sit and color with your pre-teen or teen and just be available to talk. You may be surprised at what doors you are opening, beyond the creativity of a child and yourself.

Delta & Dawn: Mother & Baby Whales' Journey is a children's picturebook based on the inspirational true tale of a mother and baby humpback whale. During their migration through the Pacific Ocean, the whales became trapped for more than two weeks in the Sacramento River and the San Francisco Bay area. Their presence charmed and fascinated humans; marine biologists tried everything they could think of to help the whales return to their saltwater home, and the baby whale always stayed close to its mother. At last the two of them were finally able to find the way to freedom. A gentle and kindly storybook, illustrated with captivating artwork and photography, especially recommended for young whale lovers.

An awesome book - absolutely perfect for kids who love animals! Bright, colorful illustrations that keep their interest, informative text that teaches them about whales and their habitat, and it's all based on a very touching true story of a mother and her calf and their journey home to the Pacific Ocean. A definite must-have in every child's book collection.

We followed this story very closely as we live very near the area where the journey takes place. Stefanie Cruz is a newscaster in our area and we were delighted to see her write this book. It is a sweet story told very well about a mother's love for her baby. We highly recommend it! Plus, it has a happy ending...one we all hoped to see.

We were given this book as a gift. It was a beautiful story and very tenderly written. The illustrations were awesome as well, as they were very detailed and pertained exactly to the text. My 6 year old son was intrigued from the first page and completely related to the whales all along their journey. It will definately be read again and again! Thanks for sharing your experience Stefanie Cruz!

This is a very touching story about the two whales that traveled up the delta to Sacramento several months ago. It is written by TV News Anchorwoman Stefanie Cruz who covered the events firsthand. She read the book aloud at our public library and it was a big hit with the children. Because there is a lot of text, it is most suitable for kids with long attention spans. My four-year old had no trouble listening, and was very moved by the story. My friends' children will be receiving this for Christmas since I enjoyed it so much.

the best book on dolphins I've read. Deals not only with science, but the emotional aspect of working with dolphins. A must read if interested in the field....

Carol Howard has a unique talent and way of combining love, compassion, sorrow, humor, and a vast amount of knowledge in 294 pages. Never have I learned so much about a book as I did from Dolphin Chronicles. My ultimate dream is to study these strange and magnificent creatures of the sea, as well as whales. I received Dolphin Chronicles as a Christmas gift from my Grandparents, and I must say that it was my favorite gift of all! In the past, I have read about 5 or 6 books about Cetaceans (by Jacques-Yves Cousteau and other authors) and have gotton extremely bored halfway through the material, simply because it was so dry and was lacking the compassion Carol so rightly illustrates! I would recommend this book to anyone. I am planning on researching more of Carol Howard's work wherever it may be. If anyone can clue me in as to the fastest and cheapest ways of finding it, Please feel free to e-mail me your information. Thank you. :-) P.S. If Carol Howard or anyone who knows Mrs. Howard reads this review, I would like to know her e-mail address if possible to personally thank her for producing such a wonderful and moving book. Thanks for your cooperation. --"May your life be like the Dolphin, calm and peaceful waters."

Dolphin Chronicles is a wonderful story about Carol J. Howard's adventure with dolphins. Her book was so well-written that I felt like I was actually participating in her events. I am only thirteen years old but it the best book I have read in my life. I now want to be a marine biologist and dedicate my life to researching and caring for dolphins. Thank you Carol for writing such a wonderful book

I'm a 14 year old girl, and I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I love dolphins, and I wanted to learn more about them without being fed a bunch of information like a textbook. Instead, Dolphin Chronicles presents lots of information in textbook form. By the time you get to the end, you'll have a much greater understanding of dolphin training, their lifestyles in captivity and in the wild, and the life of a person working with dolphins without ever realizing you were even learning anything! It's great that this book can be so easy to read and comprehend with so much info packed inside. I totally recommend it to anyone who would like to understand the dolphin world better!

This is the best first hand experience I have ever read on dolphins! I do marine mammal rescues and have a deep love and respect for dolphins and our oceans. Carol Howard's experience is one that I feel I have experienced first hand. Excellent writing. It helps us realize the need to know more about dolphins and their brilliance but also to respect their need to be free in our oceans.

This is a fantastic book. This book seeks to portray dolphins as they really are. They do not avoid bringing up the facts of dolphins such as Bottlenose dolphin infanticide, porpoise killing, aggressive male behavior towards humans and female dolphins and the fact that dolphins eat dolphins. You would never find this information in a 'new age' style book that present dolphins as 'angelic' and 'more intelligent than humans' with no solid evidence to back it up. This book also sorts out a lot of the myths regarding dolphin intelligence and is accompanied by beautiful photography.
I truly believe that to be objective and scientific, people should try to see dolphins as they are...amazing, yes, but also capable of aggression. Intelligent? Yes, but no more so than elephants or apes.

This high quality hardbound book is a tome of sorts to state-of-the art wild dolphin scientific research and the personalities of some of their researchers. Spellbinding, graphic text replete with dozens of large format full color portraits -- captured primarily for its sister IMAX film -- Dolphins contains a pirate's treasure of newly-found knowledge to permeate the casual reader's grey matter. Intended primarily for lay audiences; but, with enough quantitative analysis to keep the most discerning scientist interested, Dolphins saturates the reader with a feeling that he's watching and researching the dolphins alongside the real scientists. Conservative in the Aldo Leopold sense of the word, Cahill provides the facts and lets the reader reach his/her own conclusions regarding the impacts of man on some dwindling dolphin populations.

If you're a dolphin freak or a Tim Cahill freak (both of which I am),you're going to like this book. The photographs are just incredible, and as always, Cahill's breezy, sardonic style makes for enjoyable reading.

The book does a good job of not romanticizing the dolphins (If I see one more New Age painting of noble dolphins swimming among a sea of stars, I'll get nauseous) but still conveys an appreciation of these impressive creatures.

Cahill also does a good job of profiling a team of cetologists studying the dolphins.

This isn't hard biology, but there are some interesting sections authored by dolphin investigators, and references for more technical readings in the notes.

I found, after seeing MacGillivray Freeman's IMAX film Dolphins, that I wanted to know more. The book follows the basis of the film, but goes into much more detail. This book is a superb account of what it is like to study and be around dolphins in the WILD. Cahill's style of writing makes you feel as if you are with him each night as he recounts a day of activity and research. He doesn't "write down" to the reader, i.e., you feel as if you're right there with him, learning along the way. He conveys a true sense of real-life scientific adventure that is fun and intriguing. The incredible pictures alone, many from the IMAX film, are worth buying the book for. I'm a conservative and will not tolerate "tree-hugger" political agendas. This book, like the film, is far from being one that attempts to drill dolphin conservation into your head. Instead, it offers a refreshing angle that provides the reader the knowledge to draw his/her own conclusions about these fascinating animals. Even the lovely scientist, Dr. Kathleen Dudzinski, who Cahill makes the main subject of the book, lets the dolphins "sell themselves" vs. her preaching conservation. It is quite enlightening and is certainly one to keep on the coffee table.

As a coffe table reference, its main virtues lies in absolutely spectacular pictures. Nothing so impressive appeared before on paper. Moreover, text is comprehensive and well balanced without aspiring to scholarly detail. In the style of the 'National Geographic' magazine, interviews and reports from the latest in the field are the core of narration. As we discover new things on their sensorial life and comunication, dolphins become a more fascinating subject. No lover of sea mammals can miss this book.