the North Pacific Coast
Francisco: Sierra Club Books for Children. ISBN: 0871564157.
This book is about plants and animals that live in the section of the Pacific Ocean that stretches from Oregon to Alaska. The large amount of life discussed as well as the unique qualities of many of the plants and animals make this book an enjoyable read.
Significant facts about the North Pacific coast are included. Different types of plant life are discussed along with animals ranging from spineless creatures to fish to mammals. Important information about these plants and animals are included such as their role in the food chain, habitat, size, diet, social organization and unique characteristics. The sources are not cited, but the photographs all came from the Royal British Columbia Museum. The book was an Orbis Pictus winner for outstanding nonfiction for children. Also, the author has written hundreds of articles for children�s wildlife magazines such as Ranger Rick and Owl. Therefore it can be assumed that the facts are accurate and relatively current since it was published about ten years ago. There is a clear distinction between fact and theory. For instance, Swanson points out that the octopus has the best-developed brain of all invertebrates (fact), and it is believed to be as smart as a cat (theory).
The layout of the book is logical. There are five chapters, with the first one introducing the North Pacific Ocean, and the following four focusing individually on plants, spineless creatures, fish and mammals. The book ends with the discussion of mammals and doesn�t include any sort of conclusion. The book contains a table of contents as well as subheadings within the chapters and an index. The subheadings are very useful in distinguishing between different creatures within the larger chapter category. For instance, in the chapter on spineless creatures, some of the subheadings are �tubes that grab,� �slugs deluxe,� and �creatures with crust.�
The design of the book is extremely attractive. The font is large and easy to read because of the size and because the lines are double spaced. The photographs complement the text very well in that they show close up pictures of the different creatures as well as capturing some of the more interesting plants and animals that are discussed in the text. For example, the text talks about �featherlike orange sea pens,� but the picture of the sea pen really shows the reader what the author is describing � an animal that anchors itself to the sea floor and looks just like an old feather pen you would see in movies. The overall layout is very similar to a magazine. The photographs are accompanied by large captions. There are enclosed text boxes off to the sides on some of the pages with interesting details that don�t necessarily fit into the regular text. For example, there�s a box that explains how water absorbs color so divers need artificial light to actually be able to see what colors plants and animals are underwater. Also at the end of each chapter there is a bulleted list of interesting facts, such as one that said a shark can lose and replace 30,000 teeth in its lifetime.
The writing is lively. The book opens with the sentence, �Imagine fish that tie themselves in knots, plants that flash lights in the dark, sea stars that turn their stomachs inside out and mammals that hammer their food.� The author�s enthusiasm is shown throughout the book. At one point, Swanson states that �Exploring a sea brimming with life is always an adventure.� The vocabulary is appropriate and when words are introduced that the child might not know, such as invertebrate, Swanson includes a simple definition in parentheses after the word. The writing encourages critical thinking and more reading. For example there is a picture and text that describes how the mosshead warbonnet has a �hat� that looks like seaweed that helps hide it from prey. It leaves the reader interested in other animals with unusual types of camouflage. The text is full of interesting details and little known facts. I was most astonished by the discussion of a type of fish called the wolf-eel. They are pretty ugly, with giant heads, sharp teeth and long eel-like bodies that can be up to 6 feet long. However, what is so interesting is that they approach divers and will rub up against their legs like a cat would in order to get attention, because wolf-eels love to be rubbed.
Detailed and colorful photographs, along with unique facts, informative captions and information boxes make this an extremely interesting and enjoyable book for young readers as well as adults.
