Marine Life Books

This is a wonderfully written account of some of the most interesting animals in the ocean, the whales. The author has composed a great book that is divided into well devised chapters that use one whale to explain these giants of the sea.

Douglas Chadwick has written and excellent book on several different types of whales but, really, about whales in general.

A wonderful eye-opener to those who just look at them as "fish". These creatures seem to be intelligent beings not far behind us (or maybe far ahead of us). Chadwick brings us into a relationship with them that will change your opinion. This book would be especially good as an excellent summer read for someone in junior or senior high school who may be thinking of their future.

The older I get, the more I realize it's a big world out there and we're just a small part of it. This book makes me feel more militant in protecting our sea-going friends, the grandest of lives.

Once again, scientist/author Doug Chadwick has written a book that charms with its prose and intrigues with its message. One of the finest nature writers of our time, Chadwick has outdone himself with this book on whales and other cetacea. It provides a wealth of information on these animals that was previously hidden away in scientfic journals. Beyond that, it provides a very personal glimpse of how whale research is being conducted and of the researchers themselves -- how they relate to whales in ways that never make it into technical articles. Yet, best of all is Chadwick's exploration into the nature of whale societies or cultures. Careful not to slip into anthropomorphism, Chadwick deftly graples with some of the most compelling issues of our time, concerning conservation of highly intelligent wildlife. Conventional wildlife management focues on numbers of animals, thinking of each member of a species as being equal to every other member of that age-sex class, then striving to maintain optimal numbers in each class to maximize harvstable yield. Only recently, with in depth studies of known individuals, have scientists begun to glimpse how much chimpanzees, gorillas, bears, and yes whales differ as individuals and groups, and how this affects overall welfare of populations and species. There is no book on non-primate animals to equal this one in trying to look beyond humanity to understand 'minds within the skins of other kinds.'
,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Stephen F. Stringham, PhD, Wildlife Biologist

When I was very young (about five years old) in addition to insects I was in love with sea monsters- squid, octopi, manta rays, sharks and of course whales. What fascinating creatures! After I became a biologist, specializing in arthropods, I sill found sea life of major interest and so it was that I joined a whale-watching cruise to the Coronados Island off Tijuana, Baja California, that was offered as a side trip after a scientific meeting in San Diego. It was a great experience (we saw about 2 dozen gray whales, including one pod that swam right by us in the late afternoon). Until now I have been generally disappointed with books on the subject of whales as they somehow did not seem to capture the real experience of seeing a whale in real life and in the process express the actual atmosphere of it all.

Douglas Chadwick has changed all that. His book "The Grandest of Lives: Eye to Eye With Whales" is a labor of love and it shows. His descriptions of experiences with, and the biology of, five examples of the Cetacea- the blue whale, the humpbacked whale, the orca, the minke whale and the northern bottlenose whale are golden! He captures the whales, their environment, and the people who study whales, so that you can almost catch the smell of the sea and the cries of sea birds. Most importantly he explores the mysterious lives of his subjects in a way I have seldom seen in any book. This is the next best thing to actually going out on a whale watch and a excellent read in preparation for going out to sea or after you have returned.

Chadwick also investigates the "scientific whaling" industry in which whales are "harvested" for "scientific research" by some of the countries who are members of the International Whaling Commission (IWC). The meat usually ends up on store shelves, sometimes including meat from species that are not even allowed to be taken for "science." He is pretty accurate in his observations and presents the views of the people who are involved in whaling as well as the reasons against such practices. This activity, along with overfishing of other marine organisms, and pollution and bycatch problems, is rapidly leading to the depletion of ocean life in some areas. However, whales are increasing in numbers along the Pacific coast of the United States and Mexico and a few other places where the whales are better protected.

Whales are wonderful creatures and if, after you have read this book, you are not impressed by them and the need to protect them I would be very surprised. These are indeed, the grandest of lives!

Great. No problems. would buy from again. thank you.

I think this book is great but a bit too expensive for my liking Danielle Mullins

In recent years, public opinion on the Great White Shark has turned away from the fierce bloodlust inspired by fiction and returned to the more civilized sense of awe and wonder at the amazing size and ferocity of these giant predators common to the days before Hollywood brought us 'Jaws' in its technicolor (mostly red) splendor. With specials common to PBS and the Discovery Channel, public awareness of the GW is higher now than ever before, making the shark more and more popular to study. The results of this scrutiny are brought to light in 'Great White Sharks : The Biology of Carcharodon carcharias', a collection of scientific papers edited by A. Peter Klimley and David G. Ainley. In this fascinating work, the picture of the GW as bloodthirsty killer is erased and replaced with the image of the predator's role as king of the sea. There are papers dedicated to nearly every scientific aspect of the animal from its ancestry to its behavior to its populations in oceans around the world. Nearly every serious question about the GW is explored, if not answered. The only thing that makes this book a little inaccessible is the fact that is geared for academic use and research. It is not a book written for the masses, such as Ellis and McCosker's 'The Great White Shark', another excellent book on the subject. But if it is depth you are looking for, Klimley and Ainley & Co. provide it. This book is not to missed by serious students of the GW.

It's absolutely great! You will learn everything about biology, behaviour and social interaction of the Great Whites. This is a MUST have!

Hotel Deep is an amazing and beautifully illustrated book. It fun to read and each poem is about the curious deep ocean and the creatures that live in it. My 4 year old loved his other book "odhopper opera" so when I saw this, i bought it. Its style is very similiar to "opera" (which is about a garden and the bugs & creatures in it) I love both books and would give them to every child I know.
sam

Does anyone know how I can contact the author about buying the artwork for this book? Kurt Cyrus is an outstanding artist and not a bad poet either. Hopefully he will grace us with a full length book at some point. My son and daughter both love his books and often look through them just for the pictures themselves and my son, who is just beginning to read, is able to follow the text. Another excellent book by the author

Hotel Deep is a book containing 21 poems by Kurt Cyrus. They all have an ocean theme to them. At the end of the book are small picture and titles of under water life to search for in the book.

The illustrations were neat to look at. They made me think of the summers my family and I spent at the beach.

This would be a great book for classroom teachers to share with their student during a unit on ocean life or poetry.

I fell in love with Oddhopper Opera and bought it before my son was even conceived. I recently discovered Hotel Deep and ordered it sight-unseen. It is yet further proof that Kurt Cyrus is a fabulous artist and a brilliant poet. This is now my 2.5-yr-old's favorite book. He asks for it by name ("Read Toe Deep?"), and goes around quoting it. His favorite page is where the lone sardine finally reunites with his school ("Sardines! Sardinessardinessardinessardines...!") But his favorite poem is the one about the stonefish. Apparently he is able to pick up on the idea of the fish pretending to be what it isn't, and he walks around saying, "Not a stonefish, no indeed!"

A young child needs to have his hand held and be shown how to appreciate these Kurt Cyrus books, but there is so much there for both him and us to enjoy. My husband and I don't get tired of reading this one!

Okay, I have to amend this review to say that my son (still 2.5) knows the ENTIRE book by heart. He can recite the whole thing one line ahead of us. He loves to point to the sardine on every page (except the deep-sea page, where he says, "Don't see sardine!" every time), and he can find and identify each of the 28 fish named and pictured on the back page of the book. Parental bragging aside, I consider this a tribute to the book's brilliance. A 2-yr-old can enter into it wholeheartedly, but as an adult I can tell you that there are fresh details that emerge every time through. My children won't outgrow this one.

Oddhopper Opera is a fun romp, but Hotel Deep is just pure art.

I think this book is good because it is a true story about a lost humpback whale that goes into the Sacramento River. I like this book because we are studying marine mammals in class.

I first saw this book on Reading Rainbow, one of my favorite PBS shows as a kid. The story fascinated me, and I'm glad I was able to get my hands on a copy. It's about a whale who can't seem to stay with his family (which all kids can identify with at one time or another), and how the community helps him find them again.

The kids I used to babysit used to demand that I read this one incessantly. Very well-written, well-illustrated and cute.

The kind of book you think of when you're looking for a good whale story. Lots of personality and drama, and a super read-aloud for kids even as young as 4. Another fun whale story is The Whale Comedian, which is more humorous and whimsical, but, like Humphrey, shows what kids like most: how we can be friends with these exciting sea creatures.

My boyfriend contacted Bonnie Norton awhile back and told her he was taking me on a suprise trip to Washington and the Puget Sound area. I wanted to thank you, Bonnie, so much for the copy of Keiko Speaks you sent to me. It means so much to know his story in his own words. After reading the book, I went out and bought Communicating with Whales: An Orca's Perspective by Mary Getten and read it straight throughout the night (here's to Lolita!).

Thank you for caring the way you do, and thank you from the bottom of my heart for being such a wonderful friend and shoulder to cry on for Keiko when he was losing so much.

I hope this book touches thousands as it has touched me. I hope one day I could help the whales to be understood as you have done :) The orcas have always been my life ever since I was a child, sometimes it feels like they're my soul.

I know Keiko appreciated every second of help and love you gave to him.

Thank you for being his voice.

Thanks for everything,
~Lisa

Keiko is the orca whale that starred in the movie "Free Willy". Keiko Speaks is a true story based upon Keiko's communications with Bonnie Norton, beginning with their first meeting at the Oregon Coast Aquarium in 1997. Their's was a relationship that continued for the next four years as Keiko's trainers and aquarium personnel tried repeatedly to return him to the ocean. Here related are Keiko's four years in Iceland, his incredible swim to Norway, through to his last communication in 2003 when he again repeated an often expressed desire to remain with people. Keiko Speaks is especially recommended reading for animal rights activists, fans of Keiko from his film aquarium appearances, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in animal/human communications.

I have read the book and it was very emotional for me. With all of Keiko's own body language and behavior it was VERY apparent what he wanted...to be with people. Keiko was a true free spirit with a purpose to HELP us understand his world. I could feel his frustration after every attempt to get his desires fulfilled failed. Keiko's human bonding was of our own doing and we should have honored his desire to stay with us. He asked so little. The fact that he died alone breaks my heart. The book touched me in so many ways and was very inspirational.

I believe this book is an important read for anyone who ever loved or cared about Keiko. So many people wanted him to be free, but it was quite clear that he wanted to be with people. I only wish his care-takers would have honored his wishes. For those of you who are skeptics about animal communication, please open your mind and your heart. Animals are not underlings...they are equals and MUST be respected. They are not our property! They give so much of themselves to us and it's time we give back. I love Keiko very much and this book absolutely broke my heart and made me cry. Even though the book filled me with devastation for what we did to Keiko, I am very glad I read it. Now I know his true story and he has such a beautiful, important message to share with the world. He was such a special, loving, and beautiful creature who deserved everything good we could give to him. I believe now that the mission to set him free bordered on cruelty. He died of a broken heart...alone! How could we treat such a wonderful creature in such an apalling way. All he wanted to do was give his love to the world...and we denied him everything he wanted. I love you forever, Keiko. Rest in peace knowing that your story is being shared with the world. It's not too late!

I read this book 20 years ago and it is just as wonderful now as it was then! People just don't have adventures like this anymore, they should do a movie based on this book!

This book is about many of the life stories of my step-father, Bill Royal, who was an amazing man, a self-taught underwater archeologist, and a walking library of information about diving and sharks. The book is of interest to scientists interested in underwater exploration, and to young people looking for an amazing true-life adventure. Bill (with the help of Mr. Burgess) tells about his early life and difficulties, his endless persuit of knowledge, and his love of diving, whether with sharks and to explore underwater archeological sites. Dr. Clark was a good friend, teacher and a diving partner to Bill. I am so gladd this book has been re-published as it will be of interest to a great many.

This book depicts the adventures of a man who, through circumstances of his life, becomes involved in the study of sharks and helps perform research about them. Of equal or greater interest are the chapters concerning his cave diving exploits and discovery of ancient human remains and artifacts in Florida mineral springs. A great read

The Man Who Rode Sharks was originally published in 1978 and is now republished by the Authors Guild Backinprint Editions through iUniverse.com, Inc. This book by Colonel William R. Royal (written with Robert F. Burgess) is about Royal's adventures and subsequent new discoveries in shark behavior and underwater archaeology. Actually, two stories in one, the first half of the book details Royal's work with sharks from the 1930s through the 1960s. He became fascinated with sharks from his first encounter with them in 1931 when he leaped into the water to catch a shark to feed his family during the Depression Years. During his travels in the military service he took up scuba diving and had more exciting encounters with them in the Pacific and Mediterranean Sea. After the war Royal was hired to capture sharks for a scientific laboratory. He became known as "the man who rode sharks" because that is what he did to capture them undamaged and alive. Usually he grabbed a nurse shark by the tail and let it drag him around until it tired (always making sure he stayed away from the head, of course). This enabled his catch to be loaded aboard a boat alive, a requirement requested by scientists doing research on squalene, a shark liver extract being investigated then as a possible cure for human cancer. The second half of the book is about Royal's most important contribution to science. When he moved to Florida in 1958, he became interested in Warm Mineral Springs and Little Salt Springs in the central part of the state. Up to this point no one had ventured very deep into these springs. Shortly after scuba gear became available in this country, Royal donned this equipment and started exploring these over 200-feet-deep springs. What he found there proved too unbelievable for the scientists of the day. Deep in Warm Mineral Spring beside prehistoric animal bones buried in mud on a forty-foot deep ledge, Royal found a human skull that carbon-dated to over 10,000 years old! And inside it was identifiable human brain material! Stalactites from the ceiling in the underwater spring indicated that this was once a dry cave, believed to date back to the last Ice Age. Since Early man was not thought to have been in Florida then, scientists of the day questioned the authenticity of these finds, especially since they had been made by an "amateur." Royal spent much of his life trying to persuade qualified underwater archaeologists to come to the spring and do a proper archaeological investigation of the sites. Eventually they did and toward the end of his life, the scientific community properly recognized the pioneering part Bill Royal played in these discoveries. Written in a narrative style by Robert Burgess, who dived these sites with Royal to photograph and record details of his achievements, he details Royal's incredible narrow escapes from sharks, cave-ins and dangerous depths. His style enables readers to relive the excitement of these adventures of a truly unique underwater pioneer. Anyone who thrives on fast-paced true adventure action will find this book a real hair-raiser!

I got this book for my two month old daughter and she loves it!!! I thought it would be a great book for her to grow into - Right now she's just captivated by the vivid colors and hearing the sound of my voice as I read it to her... But I'm sure that as she grows a little older, it will be a book she will not only love to read out loud but also always love to look at. And just a side note, the age range for this book should start much earlier - It has very simple words making up very simple sentances.

As far as the rating goes, I would have really given this book 4 stars because like another person said, it is just not as great as it could be - the page space could definitely be utilized a little better. But because my daughter loves it sooo much, it gets all five stars.

My personal issue with the book is that each page has only two very short sentences which really should be consrtucted as one sentance with the two parts seperated with a comma.

All in all though, I'm very happy with my purchase and not dissapointd one bit :)

We got this book for my son's 1st birthday. He loved it. The illustrations are beautiful and really keep his attention. The book is about dolphins, but he learned his colors with it too. It has sparkly colored parts on it and they make a tiny krinkle when you touch them. I bought this book for a friend and her daugher loves this book too.

My son adores this book, it is beautiful and very sturdy. He likes to flip through the pages over and over, the book is made of cardboard with sparkly metallic material that shows through cut outs in the pictures, my son loves to tilt the book back and forth and point to the sparkly parts. The text is very soothing and serene without being overly "childish" - we highly reccommend!

I bought this book because I already had Rainbow Sea, also a Sparkle Book by Lassen, and it is gorgeous! The pictures in Moon Dance are beautiful! But many of them are the same pictures as in Rainbow Sea.

Moon Dance is constucted of cardboard and has sparkly paper underneath Lassen's beautiful pictures of dolphins, whales, coral reefs and other breathtaking sea life. The only reason I gave this book four stars instead of five is because the poetry is a little lacking, and it takes up half of the page where a picture could be. The way it is formatted is a little strange.

If you are thinking of purchasing this book and you don't have Rainbow Sea, I would suggest getting that one instead. If you already have Rainbow Sea, I would pass on Moon Dance, it has the same pictures in it, so it will not be anything new for your child to enjoy.

This is a great book for teaching opposites to a small child. My 3 year old son is obsessed with this book and is finally getting the difference between big & small, rough & smooth...
This is by far the most requested book in our home...

As a former marine science teacher, I read this book to every class of Kindergartners I ever had. The kids loved it! It remains one of my all-time favorites for children just learning to read.

This is a great book for a primary grade teacher to include in a theme about hermit crabs or sea animals. Other books that are particuarly good are Eric Carle's A House for Hermit Crab and Megan McDonald's Is This a House for Hermit Crab? Moving Day features many opposites with descriptive words that would be great in both language arts and science/math lessons. On several pages, the illustrations in Moving Day have tiny, humorous details that the kids will enjoy discovering. Moreover, the very large print lends itself well to shared reading (reading in which the teacher points to each word as it is being read aloud). A great book for a teacher's Ocean-theme collection!

We got this book from the library, and I'm buying our own copy. My two year old loves this book, and just about knows it by heart. Of the hundred or so books he can choose from to be read each night, he has consistently chosen this one for two weeks. In two year old terms, that's forever!

My Underwater Photo Journey is a treat for the eye and mind. Each plate is a masterpiece of composition, contrast, and incredible detail. The technical and visual quality of this publication is amazing. In it, you'll find remarkable photography in exotic locations that most of us will be lucky to visit in a lifetime of travel. If you are one of those who are trying to improve your skills at underwater photography, as you turn the pages you'll constantly be wondering, "How did she get such a great shot?" The neat thing is that on her website, the author answers this question for each picture in the book.

When I met Cathy Church at her home base in Grand Cayman, I had some idea about her reputation, but not much. Far from looking down at a beginner, she was a patient and intensely enthusiastic teacher. During the lesson she also dove with me, putting my mind and camera gear through their paces. She went the extra mile by volunteering to come in on her day off, being late for a dinner party just to outfit me properly. I mention all this because her spirit of sharing knowledge with others weaves throughout this wonderful book.

Now that I'm home and savoring her book, I appreciate her talent even more. It's hard to imagine the level of skill that it takes to get so close to her skittish subjects. A creature one inch long can fill half a page. Yet she shares her techniques in an online commentary that backs up each plate. For those of us trying to improve our own skills, the behind the scenes lessons are invaluable. It's like having a personal trainer at your fingertips.

In this day and age much is written about the need to save our oceans and life on the reef. My Underwater Photo Journey provides powerful visual testimony of just why the world beneath the waves is worth protecting. The author, Cathy Church, is a big supporter of the Ocean Conservancy. But the book is far from a sermon, it's a stunning showcase for some of the best underwater imagery you'll find. The book is coffee table sized, with one or more photographs on every page, making a great birthday present or holiday gift for any diver, photographer, traveler, or art lover.

If you have to own only one UW photo book, this is the one. I know I own nearly all of them. Have had the privilege of viewing Cathy's black and white photos with her in the Maldives,
she works the picture more than most not just merely capturing a
shot but sculpting it. This book took my breath away. I hung up my UW camera after viewing this book, this book has what I had been trying to capture for so long

My own experiences eye to eye with fish on the bottom did not prepare me for the breathtakingly beautiful photos of animals and plants taken from inches away by one of the world's greatest underwater photographers, Cathy Church. The clarity of the picture, the designer's eye for color juxtaposition, the artists mind for composition and framing her exotic subjects just blew me away. My own experiences with closeup photos on dry land gave me a huge appreciation for the difficulty Cathy must have had while composing portraits of tiny fish, snails or coral polyps less than an inch in size, while trying to stay put in the natural flow of the sea's currents and waves.

While children will be mesmerized to look face to face, eye to eye with strange and colorful creatures from far away oceans, adults will also be thrilled to see what most will never encounter personally.

Not only is the book a huge collectible for it's beauty and art, but it's the first stage of a comphrehensive, free, instruction method so the reader can learn how to prepare for the same kind of underwater journey. Like every master teacher, Cathy shares with humor and environmental sensitivity how to do what she does with hints with every photo. And even better yet, follows up the basics with much, much more at her website, so on the next dive the reader goes on, they might copy with success what took Cathy years and years of experimentation to achieve.

This book is a treasure, worth twice the modest price, to be kept at home, but shared for a lifetime with children and young adults who will be responsible for protecting and preserving in the future what is a world seldom seen but vital for all life on any part of our increasingly fragile planet.

Make My Underwater Photo Journey by Cathy Church a gift to yourself and your family, then to everyone you know during the holiday season, for birthdays, and especialy to anyone interested in SCUBA, marine biology or environmental issues.
Great photos, text and design all together in one book, plus extended instruction on Cathy's website. What a masterpiece!

Cathy Church's stunning collection of underwater photographs in this exquisite book literally took my breath away when I first opened it. The eye-popping color alone is enough to astonish anyone--but the appeal of the book that brings me back to it again and again is the author's marvelous choice of subject matter and her passionate observation of detail...whether it is to be found in the simple beauty of an algae leaf or in the natural abstraction of a stonefish portrait. The book is filled with unique creatures such as a seahorse which is the size of a grain of rice as well as captured moments of fascinating sealife behaviors that few people have ever witnessed. Not only are the pictures of marine life extraordinary, but Ms. Church is one of the very few underwater photographers who has turned her lens to "landscapes" beneath the sea--- with dramatic results. The pictures give one the feeling of being there as the photograph was taken. The captions are informative, filled with personal insight and often humorous.

There are many aspects of the book that are special--among the most useful and enjoyable are the online photo lessons that can be accessed for each photograph. These are not your usual dry listings of f-stops and film type (although that is available)...but offer a wealth of information regarding everything from appropriate gear to wear for underwater photography (including tips on subjects such as proper weight balance and fin technique), safety concerns, compositional advice, advantages and disadvantages of different camera equipment and even hints regarding working with various subjects for the best shot! (Trumpetfish "can be maneuvered or slowed down by placing your hand directly in front of their mouth") The information is written in a delightful conversational style and great fun to read.

I originally purchased this book for my husband, but everyone in the family has been enthralled with it. My eight-year old son has proclaimed it as his "most favorite book" and has given names to all of the fish in it.

This is a perfect gift item for anyone-- divers and non-divers alike.

My little boy loves to go the aquarium in Chattanooga, TN and he adores this book.

Akiki's 'My Visit to the Aquarium' is another wonderful addition in her series of children's books about nature and science. For us, it became the inspiration to visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium while on vacation in California. I can still recall my six year old son's excitement as he acted as our "tour giude" from the knowledge he gained from this book. Beautifully illustrated.

My son is almost 3 and loves to read this book along with me. We have supplemented this book with actual "field trips" to a local aquarium and he enjoys the relationship between what we read and what we see. The author has included many interesting and informative facts without "going over" the little ones' heads. We recommend it!

My visit to the Aquarium captures the feeling of being at the Aquarium with its beautiful illustrations. The author has very thoughtfully included a diverse gathering of people who visit this Aquarium, including a young girl who is using a wheelchair. There is so much information to teach a child who is reading this book about fish, sealife nad other water resources. My daughter exclaims her excitement when looking at the illustrations in this book. It is truly a visit to the Aquarium with out ever having to leave the house. We have renewed this book three times from the library and have decided to add it to our perminent collection since it is liked by every member of the family, adults as well as children. We know you'll love it too