Marine Life Books

My two year old loves this book, we have to read it every night. She loves the bright pictures and the rhymes. She really gets the concept of it being the boys imagination and she likes finding the "real" bath stuff in the pictures as well. This author and illustrator also teemed up for Starry Safari which we read right after this one.

Duncan Maxfield is right on with his merry tale of the RugRats gang and their discoveries at the Aquarium. Remember back to when you were a kid and the things that frightened you? While Chuckie, Joey, Phil n'Lil and the gang might be cartoon charcters, Maxfield creates a storyline on confronting fear to which real kids can relate. Adults will like it too, especially the artwork. I recommend this book to those kids, both young and old, who enjoy the adventures of the RugRats.

This book is just what the subtitle says - it deals with the relationship between Inuit and seals. Not just the Inuit using the seals as a source of food, fuel and clothing but also as the respect they feel for the seals. They treat the seals, and other animals, as if they have souls and their legends, rituals and traditions reflect that fact. At just over 127 pages, with tons of photos, this is an easy read.

Safe Passage tells the story of Mag Singer, a mother of seven boys. Mag admits that she is a detatched mother. She never wanted her boys, until they were born. But when her middle child, Percival, a marine and the most troubled of the seven is feared dead in the midst of a terrorist bombing, the family gathers together and suddenly Mag realizes how important her family really is.

What extraordinary good fortune when I spotted this book on the publisher's table at a boat show last summer, fresh off the press and being sold publicly for the first time. In fact the publisher told me I was buying the first copy and the author told me later that I was probably the first person outside the publishing industry to have read the book. The subject of the book by Robert L. Webb is the very gifted marine artist Charles Robert Patterson who, right from the time I first became aware of his work about 40 years ago, was my favorite in a wide open field of many great 20th century marine illustrators and artists. Anyone who ever had a Seamen's Bank for Savings calendar hanging on his wall, or read Greyhounds of the Sea by Carl Cutler, or Some Famous Sailing Ships by Richard C. McKay could not help but remember the unforgettable sailing ship renditions by Patterson. A seafaring man who painted ships and the sea as they should be painted with the correct amount of sail for the sea condition and just the right amount of foam at the bow. In my opinion and that of the author these are some of the things that make a Patterson painting stand out. The ones who did it seemingly portrayed it the best. Patterson's early years at sea served him well.

Since he died in 1958 Patterson's work seems to have faded from view with the exception of a few short lived gallery exhibits and the calendars and books mentioned above which have also faded from view. Mr. Webb's book does, however, contain an extensive bibliography. Patterson's body of work was much smaller than many other popular artists and is seldom found for sale or auction. I have, however, made a personal crusade of seeking work by Patterson. This book will certainly bring Charles Robert Patterson back to the attention of discriminating marine art lovers everywhere.

Patterson started as a marine illustrator but it was his full blown oil paintings of clipper ships, downeasters, fishing schooners and naval subjects that brought him fame. He, together with author friend Felix Riesenberg, was greatly responsible for the ship lovers movement of the 1920s and 30s, which died out with World War II, but has been revived today. Mr. Webb describes the movement with great authority in chapter 6, one of my personal favorites. Patterson had an odd family life, leaving wife and daughter on the west coast while painting on the east. He also grew more cantankerous as he got older often having disagreements with important clients. Notwithstanding, his work was masterful and remains so today when compared to a great many outstanding modern artists who may have been inspired by Patterson as was I.

The book is thoroughly researched and annotated. There are eight pages of color plates. One wishes that the rest of the black and white illustrations could be color also but that is more than remedied by the numbers.

Mr. Webb is to be congratulated and his book is highly recommended.

I found this book to be very informative. Gave me just about all the information I needed in order to begin my hobby! One thing I wish they would have done is list brands of the equipment mentioned and show the inside anatomy of the typical fish. I realize both of those are really hard things to do with everchanging products and the question of if there really is a typical fish!

I also found this book to be super easy to read. There wasn't a lot of words that I didn't understand and if they were new to me Skomal did a great job of explaing what that term meant.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone!

Manatees are very cute and they are always fun to enjoy in classic literature. "Sam the Sea Cow" is no exception. Francine Jacobs and Laura Kelly combine to create a powerful and moving adventure into the underwater world of the manatees. From the adorable beginning to heart-wrenching tragedy all the way to the poignant ending, "Sam the Sea Cow" is a treat for any manatee devotee. "Above and beyond five stars!" raved Chessie. "Beautiful and touching," gushed Temba and Colossate. But this book can best be described in the words of Sam the Sea Cow himself: "Very manatee."

I bought this book as a fan of David Sanger's photography. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Sanger and Hart were able to show me parts of the area I've lived in for 20+ years that I did not know existed. While San Francisco Bay is an exceedingly urban area, it also abounds in wilderness and wildlife. I was particularly taken with the descriptions of several ways of daily life in and on the bay.

The tone of the book is factual without being dry. John Hart's writing style felt like a wonderful conversation with someone I've known a long time. I learned a great deal about how the bay is changing and why those changes are occuring. There are several very detailed maps of the bay that correspond to the areas discussed and I referred to them often. The photographs are exquisite. The bay is always beautiful in those golden hours before sunrise and sunset and David Sanger must have spent a great deal of time to capture so many evocative images.

After reading through the book and spending time with the images, I felt like I wanted to participate in the restoration of this unique area. The appendicies are helpful, offering a list of 20 places to visit and a comprehensive list of agencies and organizations that are central in the preservation and restoration of the bay. All in all, a very satisfying book.

After laying her many eggs deep in the sand along a Florida beach, a female loggerhead sea turtle returns to the ocean. Thus begins the hatchling turtles' arduous and dangerous journey to survival since only one in a thousand sea turtles live to adulthood. But even before this batch of eggs can hatch, a tropical storm threatens to destroy the entire nest. That's when Buster and his friend Rob help a local wildlife officer save some of the hatchlings -- including two they name Okee and Dokee. In the process, the boys (and the readers) learn everything from how to track the path of a tropical storm to how sea turtles survive in the wild. The latest in the outstanding Frederick Press "Buster's Adventures" series, John Harms' text offers an entertaining and informative blend of fiction and expository writing ideal for young readers ages 7 to 12, and grades two through five. Other highly recommended titles in this superbly presented series include: The Saving Of Arma Armadillo (0965387119, ...); The Saving Of Valiant Blue Heron (0965387178, ...); and The Saving Of Sly Manatee (0965387135, ...).

My son was thrilled with this book - he loves sharks and absolutely loved this book!