Marine Life Books

Societies have hunted whales over the centuries. In "Harpoon: Into the Heart of Whaling" environmental reporter Andrew Darby covers the history of the commercial whaling industry around the world, from early wooden arrows to the grenade-tipped harpoons of the Japanese industry. Even more important is a survey of international debates about whaling and its ethics, making "Harpoon: Into the Heart of Whaling" a top pick for any library strong in environmental history.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

"Harpoon" does a wonderful job of exploring whaling from the hey day of the 19th century to the factory fleets of the mid 20th to the current days of "scientific" whaling.

The book is roughly broken into sections according to whale species, and one of the best parts of "Harpoon" is reading about the different major whale species. Darby gives us a glimpse into the lives of these whales, from the days when one could see Right whales off the Australian coasts every day up until the current day, when scientific seach planes are hard pressed to find them.

In addition to telling us the whales, and the nuts and bolts of whaling itself, Darby follows the evolution of the International Whaling Committee, and all the diplomatic drama around trying to preserve, utilize, and protect the world's whales.

This was an incredibly informative book, and not a page went by where I didn't learn something new. While very anti-whaling, Darby does not demonize whalers themselves, up to the point of interviewing retired whalers themselves. This is an excellent read anyone who is interested in whales, whaling, or nautical history would enjoy.

For those of you who like to dink around streams this is the book for you. It is written for the laymen and is very readable. The photography and text are outstanding. I finally know something about all the things I have been catching. Thanks to the two authors for a great job!

I love this book. For years I have been looking for a book on freshwater fish in Hawaii and now I got one. Great pictures and plenty of info on every freshwater animal in Hawaii! I highly recommend it for anyone who likes to fish in Hawaii's creeks or just wants to know what type of fish that was we used to throw rocks at.

There hasn't been such an intimate look at New York Harbor since
Joseph Mitchell's classic "The Bottom of the Harbor". John
Waldman captures the mystique and dark romance known only to a few
New York bayman. Readers will become familiar with New York events
like "Floaters week", underruns, blow out tides; fishing holes
with unlikely names such as Aquatic Appalachia, Tin Can Grounds, Acid
Grounds, and Cholera Banks; flotsam that will never be found in any
dictionary like "Coney Island Whitefish" and "blop-blops";
nautical entrepreneurs like the "Belford Pirates", illegal
pinhookers, Kenney's Killer Killifish, headboats and even an urban
sports fishing guide. John Watchman takes you to backwaters and
commercial dead ends where the "Fiftteenth Ward Smelling
Committee" once searched for the source of health-giving vapors,
sludge bubbles, perfume wagon stenches; and a criminal defense lawyer
even tried to use the black, bubbly water of the bay as a possible
neurological "The river made me do it" defense.

I spent many
of my early years wandering New York Harbor and it's many tributaries
in search of stripped bass, jacking for blue claw crabs, ice boating,
racing sailboats or simply drifting down the Harlem River on a warm
summer night listening to the urban mixture of steel bands, fire
engine horns, police sirens and elevated trains. It was a treat to
hear that you can still do many of these things and the hostilities to
this great body of water are being addressed by special people like
John Watchman. We owe him a lot.

Richard Quis now lives in Southern
California where the colorful flotsam is oranges, lemons and tennis
balls.

Perhaps not as much as it used to, New York City has always been dependent on its waterways. From the get-go in the early 17th Century, it was a port city. However, no sooner did development expand the city when the East and Hudson Rivers became sewers, dumping grounds for tanners, chandlers, and dyers. By the late 19th Century, the pollution extended all the way out to the Harbor, the Narrows, and then the Atlantic. John Waldman's HEARTBEATS IN THE MUCK traces this sad history and then, to the surprise of many readers, describes the comeback staged by these waterways.

In a way, this book is quite inspirational, in as much as that it gives the reader hope that, when confronted with an ecological crisis, local and state governments can and will intervene, even if it needs to be put under pressure. Villains abound, but so do heroes, and the anecdotes about local seafarers do more than just entertain; they make you proud of them for their determination.

Lastly, even to the most seasoned New Yorker, this little tome will provide information about his/her city's remarkably complex network of rivers, streams, "kills", and canals. Having grown up near the Gowanus Canal, I remember how awful it smelled even on good days. Now, it is so clean, it seems strange. In any event, Mr. Waldman deserves a great deal of credit for his dogged research and his sea legs.

A tiny baby hermit crab is born and floats in the waters of the Caribbean Sea. The baby drifts for weeks, munching on plants and animals of the sea that are even tinier than she is. After about two months, the baby is finally starting to look like a hermit crab and stays near the shore in the sandy bottom of the sea. The baby hermit crab is vulnerable since she doesn't have a shell to call home. A fish tries to eat her, so she finds an empty shell nearby and squeezes into it. She's safe for now.

She's not finished growing yet, so she finds a sandy beach and burrows under the wet sand. When she emerges days later, she's changed into a young land hermit crab. She decides to head away from the sea and looks for a place to live in the forest behind the beach. As she grows, her need to find bigger shell homes is necessary to keep her safe from predators. What dangers will await her in the forest? Who will try to steal her shell home? You'll just have to read this terrific book to find out. Author Janet Halfmann offers concise, crisp text that takes us through the entire life cycle of a hermit crab in a fun, informative way. Combined with the awesome, accurately-detailed illustrations by Bob Dacey and Debra Bandelin, I give this book a high five for being a positive learning experience for your child to discover facts about and the habitat of these sea creatures, and how they should be handled when discovered. The last page of the book has a section entitled: "About the Land Hermit Crab", a "Glossary" section, and a "Points of Interest in this Book" section. Soundprints has teamed up with the Smithsonian Institution to make a "Smithsonian Oceanic Collection" of books that are exclusively licensed and authenticated by curators at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History. This is a top-quality informational book! It also has a read-along audio book and a realistically designed stuffed animal toy available.

Hermit Crab's Home is a fascinating children's picturebook following the life cycle of an ordinary female hermit crab. From the beginning of her life as an egg, to her constant struggle to evade predators, the discovery of her first shell, the need to find larger shells as she grows bigger, to her eventual motherhood, Hermit Crab's Home stays faithful to nature in both story and illustration, eschewing the impulse to overly anthropomorphize wild creatures. The gentle, realistic color artwork adds the perfect touch to the wonderful tale highly recommended for children's library and private collections alike.

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Jeannie Baker's latest book contains dazzlingly realistic images.

The illustrations in "Hidden Forest" are photographs of her gallery works that are 3-dimensional constructions, made up of a translucent collage of materials illuminated from behind in a light box. They are truly remarkable with their vividness and accuracy of representation. There is a strong environmental theme running through Jeannie's works. In this story it is the fragility of the marine environment that is the focus of the story.

Young Ben has to go diving in the Kelp Forest to learn about the beauty and special qualities of this underwater world.

This is a truly magnificent book. Look out for an exhibition of Jeannie's artworks if it tours near you.

This is another beautiful book from a great artist. Jeannie Baker uses a range of techniques to bring to life the underwater world. Each of the pictures has been created so lovingly that Baker's respect for the Australian landscape is obvious. As a teacher of young children I love this book for its detail. It never fails to quieten a class as they gaze at the pictures and listen to the wonderful story. I have also given copies to my nephew who is ocean-crazy and he loves it. Down here in Australia we spend a lot of time in the ocean, looking at the ocean and talking about the ocean and this is one of those books that is becoming a kids classic.

Beautiful, bright colors make this a treat to look at. The flaps and pull tabs are simple and sturdy so that my 11-month old can use them (with a little help). Would make a great present.

I bought this book before my son was born to use the illustrations as a sort of template for painting his bedroom walls. He now, at 20 months, loves this book and asks me often to read the "pull book". The colors are bright and the sea creatures are whimsical yet simple. The tabs are fairly sturdy although I have had to glue a couple of them back in place.

You won't get a scientific or intellectual review from me on this book. uh uh. We sailed out to Stellwagen Bank and encountered so many humpback whales... and while we were in our own little sailboat! What a thrill. After doing this a couple of times, I sought out some books on humpbacks to keep onboard. This is one of my favorites. Majestic, beautiful animals. Surreal experience... and it's nice to have a book that brings me back to those magical moments. (sigh) Wow.

World Life Library produces some of the best books with regards to ceteceans. This book is no exception. Expertly written by Dr Phil Clapham, its a vivid potrayal of one of earth's most beautiful and yet mysterious marine mammal's, the humpback whale. Great book packed with excellent pictures.

the book Ibis is a must read. it is fun to read and it is interesting. Ibis is fun to read you should read it.

My four year old son checked this out from our local library, and he and his seven year old sister loved it. As their mom, I did, too! The drama of a real-life whale rescue at the waters' surface contrasts with the peaceful world of whales below. The comparison of the starfish with a human's hand was touching and makes one wonder how whales really think. A very sweet book, one that makes you realize how we put animals at risk by our behavior all the time, yet our hearts are not all that hardened... yet.

Well illustrated with about 10 different sea creatures getting their own page and brief specific information about them that children can really relate to. This is a great introductory book, and is a wonderful lead to all kinds of movements and sounds of these fascinating creatures!

I picked up this little book for my baby nephew. Because the book is small (about 6"x6") and has thick cardboard pages it will be ideal for him while he is developing hand-eye coordination. It is bright, colorful, and well illustrated, and overall has a very creative and appealing design. This little book looks ideal for any age up to about 1st or 2nd grade (depending upon reading level) and gives young children interesting knowledge about 10 different sea-creatures. This real-life book is a great alternative to cartoons and make-believe. All around it is a great little book!

Animal communicator Bobbie Sandoz-Merrill's book, IN THE PRESENCE OF HIGH BEINGS, describes her experiences swimming with dolphins and what she has learned from the playful dolphins she has met. Swimming with dolphins has been compared to "swimming in champagne distilled from joy," as dolphins who come to spend time with humans invariably express some of the very highest spiritual qualities we humans aspire to, such as: kindness, joyfulness, harmony, wisdom, honest telepathy, and grace. These incredibly compassionate and playful ambassadors provide us with an opportunity to see how intelligent beings can live together peacefully in a balanced way.

In addition to these powerful insights, Sandoz-Merrill provides us with the benefit of what she learned from her dolphin friends regarding how to manifest what we most desire. Dolphins send thoughts filled with dreams out to the future, preparing the way for what is desired to come through. Dolphins do what is necessary to show up on the path of their dreams, swimming out to meet them rather than assuming everything will just come through on its own. Dolphins focus only on what they desire with intense, clear intent. Dolphins actively attract their dreams, inviting and enticing them to come to them. Dolphins stay joyful, happy and playful while awaiting their dreams to arrive... living in accordance with their very highest ideals of love, joy, freedom, and grace.

I am eternally grateful to Sandoz-Merrill for sharing these profound insights and stories through this delightful book, which is as fun to read as it is transformative for all who read it with open hearts and minds. I give this book my highest recommendation for everyone interested in dolphins and improving the quality of life.

From years of personal experience and research, the author
takes us on a journey which is healing, enlightening,
down to earth- a gift to the planet. If you are interested
in dolphins, animal communication, healing, the environment,
and the strong yet delicate interrelationships of all consciousness, this book must be on your reading list.
I could not put it down! and found it a 5 star among books
and stories encompassing all of the above. Written by
a true seeker , for everyone.