Absolute Expert: Dolphins

Our second grader loves this book. He’s an avid reader and animal enthusiast. Some of the passages are a bit advanced for him, but we read those together. The book provides extensive information in a format he understands alongside impressive photographs. We will definitely be looking into other books in this series. This purchase was prompted by a project he had on Orcas. Plenty of information was provided for this purpose and it gave him an alternative to researching online (which I wanted during virtual schooling). We would definitely recommend this to others interested in learning more about dolphins.

My dolphin loving kiddo is so so so excited about this. She had even learned a few new to her facts. Highly recommend. She is a third grader who sometimes has a hard time getting a book to hold her attention but this one is a winner

My daughter loves this. I bought it for her to help with her 3rd grade Dolphin research project and it had way more info and fun facts than the other dolphin books her school got at the library. Great book, lots of great photos and interesting info. She read it cover to cover

Beautiful pictures

Love the hard book. Granddaughter will love!

Dolphins are fun loving animals and they are very smart. Another cool thing about dolphins is they love interacting with us humans. When dolphins hang out together its called a pod. They hunt together, eat together, protect and take care of the young ones. They have their own little society. What we’ve learned from dolphins is that they are compassionate, patient, responsible, they work together, respect their elders and protect each other from predators.Readers of all ages can learn so much about dolphins from this handy guide. If you want to become a dolphin trainer there is information here just for you. Readers can learn how scientists find, track and study dolphins. Readers will learn about the different types of dolphins there are and all about their bodies, what they eat and even how they navigate through the water.Marine biologist Justine Jackson-Ricketts has a lot to share about her experiences with dolphins and why she wanted to study them. There are plenty of pictures here that show people working with dolphins and so much more. The back pages share how readers can help dolphins and other marine life. There are resources for more research for readers who want to learn more. Parents and teachers will love this guide for their classroom or home libraries.

Fascinating. Extremely well written with superb layout and design. Book talk this and leave in your classroom library to be snatched up quickly by 3rd-8th grade students! Seriously, I learned so much about dolphins - all sorts of dolphins who live all over the world.Did you know that a dolphin's eyes secrete a special oil that keeps the water out of their eyes (p. 44)? That dolphins protect their young and elderly and sick or injured members of their pod (p. 66)? That some young male dolphins become best friends for life (p. 63)? That dolphins have helped the U.S. military detect and deter enemy swimmers from approaching navy ships (p. 92-93)? There are so many fascinating facts but not just a lot of miscellaneous facts. Swanson goes into depth on each sub-topic in each of four chapters. There are plenty of sidebars and photographs with labels to support students as they deepen their understanding of the dolphin's physical features, behaviors and so forth.Themes in the book include - how scientists are learning about dolphins (with an intro to each chapter by National Geographic Explorer Justine Jackson-Ricketts), why it's important to know about dolphins (they are a top predator and their behaviors can signal a healthy environment or not), the need for humans and dolphins to find a way to co-exist (including human impact on dolphins), the complex physical features of this very intelligent creature... Each of these themes are worthy of student-led discussions and written responses and can contribute to student-led research.While it's written for middle grade students, younger fluent readers who love this topic will be able to grasp the ideas in this book. Swanson's superb writing is so clear and student-friendly, even when she's explaining more complex concepts like the dolphin's use of echolocation or scientists' theories for how dolphins communicate. The layout and design--colorful, just enough text on each page, some full page graphics, etc--also make this text accessible to a lot of readers.Here are a few suggestions for book talking before leaving on display in your classroom library -*Read aloud a few excerpts (like the one on p. 44 about the eyes or the one on p. 92-93 about dolphins in the military).*Pose questions and leave the students hanging like, "Can a dolphin use a conch shell to catch fish?" or "Can dolphins do math? How do we know or not know this?" or "Can a dolphin be pink in color?" and "I guess you'll have to read to find out."*Ask a student to read this book and plan a book talk for other students.Swanson is a "go to" author for me. She tackles complex topics and writes in a way that is appealing to students. THANK YOU, JENNIFER!!!!