Dolphins have long captured our imagination because of their intelligence and their remoteness. They are mammals that live mostly underwater. Laurence Pringle, who knows how to make all forms of nature accessible and fascinating, has turned his attention to Dolphins as his latest offering in his popular Strange and Wonderful series. This book is beautifully and accurately illustrated by Meryl Henderson.
There are many children who go through a dolphin phase much as they glom on to dinosaurs. I had a granddaughter like this. She carried a stuffed dolphin from the Chicago Aquarium everywhere she went for several years, while I fed her dolphin books. There is a lot to marvel at when it comes to these denizens of the sea, whose lives and habitats are now threatened.
There are quite a few different kinds of dolphins--33 species--but we know the bottlenose the best. One of the most distinctive features of this dolphin is its bulging forehead. Called a "melon" [It]"contains fat that helps to focus sounds produced in air tubes and sacs just behind, enabling dolphins to make clicks, chirps, buzzes, whistles, and other sounds. All of these sounds are emitted directly from dolphin heads, not through their mouths." (Wow! I didn't know that!)
Here's another strange and wonderful attribute: "As you read these words, you don't need to think about breathing. It happens automatically. A dolphin, on the other hand, decides when to breathe. But how can it sleep and still keep breathing? The answer: One side of its brain rests while the other stays awake. Half-asleep, the dolphin rises to the surface to breathe." (Hmmmm...how does one think with half a brain?)
Like a bat, a dolphin uses echolocation to find food. And, like wolves, they work together as a team to catch prey. They talk to each other in their own mysterious language. They are playful as they leap above the water, often doing so to communicate to us. (I saw this happen from a boat off the coast of Alaska. They put on quite a show!)
In Dolphins! Strange and Wonderful, Laurence Pringle feeds the appetite for knowledge while sustaining curiosity to know more. If this is the fist book a child reads about dolphins, there's a good chance it will not be the last.
There are many children who go through a dolphin phase much as they glom on to dinosaurs. I had a granddaughter like this. She carried a stuffed dolphin from the Chicago Aquarium everywhere she went for several years, while I fed her dolphin books. There is a lot to marvel at when it comes to these denizens of the sea, whose lives and habitats are now threatened.
There are quite a few different kinds of dolphins--33 species--but we know the bottlenose the best. One of the most distinctive features of this dolphin is its bulging forehead. Called a "melon" [It]"contains fat that helps to focus sounds produced in air tubes and sacs just behind, enabling dolphins to make clicks, chirps, buzzes, whistles, and other sounds. All of these sounds are emitted directly from dolphin heads, not through their mouths." (Wow! I didn't know that!)
Here's another strange and wonderful attribute: "As you read these words, you don't need to think about breathing. It happens automatically. A dolphin, on the other hand, decides when to breathe. But how can it sleep and still keep breathing? The answer: One side of its brain rests while the other stays awake. Half-asleep, the dolphin rises to the surface to breathe." (Hmmmm...how does one think with half a brain?)
Like a bat, a dolphin uses echolocation to find food. And, like wolves, they work together as a team to catch prey. They talk to each other in their own mysterious language. They are playful as they leap above the water, often doing so to communicate to us. (I saw this happen from a boat off the coast of Alaska. They put on quite a show!)
In Dolphins! Strange and Wonderful, Laurence Pringle feeds the appetite for knowledge while sustaining curiosity to know more. If this is the fist book a child reads about dolphins, there's a good chance it will not be the last.
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