Could You Ever Dive With Dolphins!?

April 1, 2023
An invitation to imagine what it would be like to live, swim, play, and even eat as bottlenose dolphins do. Enhanced by illustrations that pair stock photos with cartoon scenes of stubby-limbed, racially diverse children floating in imagined nautical settings, this series opener pours out relatively hefty doses of dolphin data. Markle presents facts in ways that invite emulation--we learn on one page that dolphins sleep with one eye open; the facing page depicts a brown-skinned, hijab-wearing child with one eye closed. And the author informs us that dolphins identify themselves with individual squeaks and whistles; an accompanying image shows a tan-skinned young wheelchair user rolling along the sea bottom and squeaking and squawking away. Markle also uses language that will resonate with her target audience; she tells readers that as social animals, the finny frolickers hang out in age-based groups or, sometimes, "super groups" of 1,000 or more, are ever alert to "stranger danger" from sharks, and have seafood for every meal ("Snacks, too!"). Morales brings readers back to dry(ish) land with a final transition from the deep sea to a swimming pool, and a world range map supplies a final splash of information for this imagination-stretching venture. (This book was reviewed digitally.) Immersive fun for young nature and wild animal lovers. (fun facts!) (Informational picture book. 6-8)

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May 15, 2023
Grades K-2 What if you woke up living in the ocean among bottlenose dolphins? As readers imagine this underwater adventure, they learn all about dolphin life. In double-page spreads, short descriptive paragraphs, each accompanied by a photograph of dolphins in the wild, introduce such dolphin behaviors as hunting, eating, sleeping, communicating through whistles, avoiding predators, and using echolocation to sense their surroundings. The following page, in a vibrant, digitally rendered cartoon style, features children with different skin colors, hairstyles, physical abilities, and religions interacting with dolphins. Text bubbles encourage young people to envision this marine habitat and include related facts, such as "Bottlenose dolphins close just one eye at a time while sleeping." A large, concluding map of the world depicts ocean temperatures and the corresponding range of bottlenose dolphins. Additional trivia, such as how dolphins shed their outermost layer of skin every two hours to remain smooth and slip through the water more easily, will keep children engaged to the end. Pair with Laurence Pringle's Dolphins! (2019) for more dolphin diversions.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.