This lighthearted nonfiction book is filled with useful facts about dolphins that will make you laugh so hard you won't even realize you're learning something!
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[STARRED REVIEW]
Eaton has hit upon an effective combination of silly and informative in this new
nonfiction picture book series, respecting his young audience’s ability to discern
between the two. The dynamic pages, with lighthearted, crisply rendered cartoon
illustrations, have a lot going on but are thoughtfully designed to make the books
accessible to both new and more-independent readers. The main texts dispense
basic facts about species, habitats, diet, physiology, and behaviors: “Dolphins
come in all different shapes, sizes, and colors.” The animals’ speech bubbles alternate
between supplementing information (about dolphins’ smooth skin: “it helps
make us fast”) and advancing goofy subplots, such as a hippo’s failed attempts
at bike riding. Other animals and a child or two pop up with more funny and/
or supporting asides. Text boxes provide additional details. Clever comparisons
help readers digest information: “If this book was a hippo mouth, it could open
almost all the way. If it was a human mouth, you couldn’t even read it.” Each volume
concludes with discussion of environmental threats and a call to champion
conservation efforts: “You can help by learning about bears [hippos, dolphins]
and then teaching others.” The back matter is displayed to look like an open file
folder packed with field notes; cartoony “photos,” samples, and drawings; a territory
map; and short lists of books for kids (“pygmy-sized hippos”) and grownups
(“orca-sized books”). The truth is . . . this series may well inspire a new generation
of animal scientists and conservationists. kitty flynn