Synopses & Reviews
In Florida, Brazil, and Senegal, three scientists are working very hard to save the manatee. Manatees are docile, large sea mammals who are eaten in some parts of the world, feared in others, and adored in still others. But human encroachment, disease, environmental hazards, and being hunted, among many other issues, are causing their numbers to decline. Manatees are, in fact, an endangered species. John Reynolds, a manatee expert at Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Florida and chairman of the United States Marine Mammal Commission for the past two decades, is among the scientists trying to figure out how to save the manatee, and move it off the endangered species list. It isn't as simple as just counting the numbers of manatees in the wild and seeing if the number goes up or down. There are countless factors that go into giving an animal a designation (and every known species in the world has a designation). But in the Amazon, for example, manatees are very difficult to spot, and are hunted for food. How do you get an accurate picture of what life is like for a manatee in Brazil, where Dr. Fernando Rosas studies the creature, when you might not even see one in the wild for months or years? And in Senegal and other parts of Western Africa, where young Lucy Keith is working hard to put together a network of people who share information about manatees, people fear them and hunt them. Conservation is not an easy goal for these three scientists, but their love and passion for the manatee drives them each day.
In The Manatee Scientists, John Reynolds does an aerial count of manatees in Florida and gives readers a basic overview of manatee biology and the new science being used to help with their conservation status; Lucy Keith is among the first to see bones of older manatees that were being kept by a legendary manatee hunter in Angola and has an adventurous weekend rescuing manatees trapped in a dam in Senegal; and Fernando Rosas takes his assistants and the author on an Amazonian riverboat trip, looking for a young manatees he released back into the wild, with mixed and emotional results. Scientists thousands of miles apart, sharing science and information with a common goal -- The Manatee Scientists is a perfect addition to our Scientists in the Field Series.
Review
Not all scientists live where they work, harvest their own subjects, or use information passed down from generation after generation of Inupiaq Eskimos to help learn about theand#160;bowhead whale. Arctic whale scientist Craig George is the son of childrenand#8217;s author Jean Craighead George,and#160;and out on the ice with the whales and the whalers in Barrow, Alaskaand#160;is where this Arctic whale scientist works.and#160;He has studied them for nearly thirty years and the mysteries these creatures hold never fail to amaze him.and#160;Join Craigand#160;at the top of the world, where the days and nights are long, the people full of stories, and the bowhead whale is at the center of it all
"Combining exemplary color photos and simple, vivid language, the chapters detail not only George's day-to-day methodology, but also his motivation: to explore "the mystery of the whales"--all the things that remain unknown about the animal."--Booklist, starred review
Review
"Combining exemplary color photos and simple, vivid language, the chapters detail not only George's day-to-day methodology, but also his motivation: to explore "the mystery of the whales"--all the things that remain unknown about the animal."--Booklist, starred review
Review
For Houghton Mifflin's
Whaling Season: A Year in the Life of an Arctic Whale ScientistNamed to the 2009 John Burroughs List of Nature Books for Young Readers "Combining exemplary color photos and simple, vivid language, the chapters detail not only George's day-to-day methodology, but also his motivation: to explore "the mystery of the whales"all the things that remain unknown about the animal."Booklist, starred review "Crisp color photographs on every page provide a lush complement to the engaging, informative text…An excellent addition to any collection." – School Library Journal, starred review "Along with showing George in the lab and speaking to a middle-school science class, the book conveys his thoughts on living in such an extreme region and describes his path to becoming a biologist (son of noted author Jean Craighead George, George grew up in a nature-saturated family)." – The Horn Book
"Some scientists bring their subjects to where they are, but that's not possible with the bowhead whale; therefore whale researcher Craig George (son of author Jean Craighead George) has spent years in Barrow, Alaska, learning about the whales mostly from the local Inupiaq whale hunters, whose catch feeds the town and provides George with samples that allow him to form a deeper picture of this species of whale. It's therefore appropriate that the book focuses nearly as much on the Inupiaq's relationship with the whales as on George's primary research, and Lourie makes clear that George's work offers possible benefits to the Inupiaq (demonstrating that their whaling is, in fact, sustainable) as well as relying on them." -- The Bulletin
Praise for Peter Lourie's books with other publishers: Lost Treasure of the Inca "Armchair adventurers with a taste for gold will be quickly drawn into a modern-day search for hidden treasure...Lourie's tale is guaranteed to generate interest in the still-unsolved mystery, and it offers teachers the chance to connect an ancient culture to our own." -- Booklist Hidden World of the Aztec "This attractive book takes an objective look at the Aztecs from the perspective of archaeological digs at the Great Temple in modern-day Mexico City and at the Pyramid of the Moon in Teotihuacan...The writing style is clear, informative, and interesting. ...Verses of Aztec poetry begin each chapter, presenting a more rounded look at a complex and sophisticated society." -- School Library Journal The Mystery of the Maya "The beauty of the scenery, the mysteries of the Maya, and the dangers of the jungle combine to make this a fascinating story of discovery. Lourie's visit to Palenque, an ancient Maya city in Mexico near the Guatemalan border, is described in informative and episodic text and wonderful photographs...The text is broken into small pieces and engages the reader in the adventure that is archaeology." -- Kirkus Reviews Tierra del Fuego: A Journey to the End of the Earth "Intrepid adventurer Lourie, who's explored everything from the Amazon to the Yukon, with the Hudson and Mississippi thrown in for good measure, travels to the island of Tierra del Fuego recounting adventures of Magellan, Charles Darwin, and turn-of-the-century world traveler, Joshua Slocum. As with other adventures, Lourie enlivens his narrative with period maps and drawings, photographs and quotes from journals and diaries from the past interspersed with contemporary photographs and tidbits about the people and places...Lourie is a masterful storyteller well able to bring the past alive....Period photographs and drawings are especially appealing." -- School Library Journal Amazon: A Young Reader's Look at the Last Frontier "A valuable, intriguing book." - Booklist "A vivid firsthand chronicle." - Smithsonian "The entire book creates an indelible picture of this endangered system." - School Library Journal
Review
"It lives up to the standards set by others in this stellar series."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Review
"It lives up to the standards set by others in this stellar series."and#8212;Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"This is a living, breathing window into the watery world of manatee studies, with eager scientists pursuing the preservation of stressed sirenian populations with determination and grit."and#8212;School Library Journal
Review
"With clearly written text, detailed and well-produced photographs and helpful maps and charts...should be welcome in high-school as well as middle-school libraries." Kirkus, Starred 9/15/07 Kirkus Reviews, Starred
"Carson provides fascinating detail...color photographs featuring Roth at work are upstaged only by those of the rhinos themselves..." The Horn Book, Nov/Dec 2007 Horn Book
The text is ful of important details, and the photographs are unfailingly crisp, bright, and full of variety." SLJ November 2007 School Library Journal
"Pair this with other animal titles...and make sure kids get a chance to view Emi real-time on the zoo's webcam." The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"This latest in the Scientists in the Field series has all the elements of top-notch nonfiction." Booklist 12/1/07 Booklist, ALA, Starred Review
"An engaging new volume." The Washington Post 12/08/07 The Washington Post
Wilde Award Winner - Best Nonfiction
News and Observer, December 16, 2007 News and Observer
Review
Step by step, the reader of this engaging description of research involving familiar objects like tub toys and LEGO pieces comes to the profoundly depressing realization that the oceans of the world and the stomachs of marine animals are filled with indestructible bits of human trash, just in time for the section entitled, "What You Can Do." and#8212;
Kirkus, starred review
The well-written narration will keep readers engaged, and it's excellent for reports. The science is clearly explained, and the vivid and lively photographs and well-labeled charts and diagrams help to create interest and build understanding. This title will get readers thinking and possibly acting on these problems.and#8212;School Library Journal, sand#8212;tarred review
Scientific information builds from chapter to chapter, creating a natural detective story.and#8212;Horn Book
The writing is light, but the facts are weighty, and the message of reduce, reuse, and recycle comes across loud and clear. This book iand#8212;s fascinating on its own, but it also can hold its place in a middle-level science curriculum. The complex science behind the movement of the ocean is explained clearly with excellent supporting graphics.and#8212;VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates)
Spacious layout, exceptionally fine color photos, and handsome maps give this book an inviting look. . . . A unique and often fascinating book on ocean currents, drifting trash, and the scientists who study them.and#8212;Booklist, ALA
"Even kids not remotely interested in science might find this work captivating." and#8212;Newsday, 9/30/07 Newsday
"There's plenty of good reading . .and#160;. "and#8212;Columbus Dispatch
"[L]oaded...with information, insight, and intellectual twists." and#8212;Natural History Magazine 12/07-1/08
Synopsis
Aided by an army of beachcombers, oceanographer Dr. Curtis Ebbesmeyer tracks trash in the name of science. From sneakers to hockey gloves, Curt monitors the watery fate of human-made cargo that has spilled into the ocean. The information he collects is much more than casual news; it is important scientific data. And with careful analysis, Curt, along with a community of scientists, friends, and beachcombers alike, is using his data to understand and protect our ocean.
In engaging text and unforgettable images, readers meet the woman who started it all (Curtand#8217;s mother!), the computer program that makes sense of his data (nicknamed OSCURS), and several scientists, both on land and on the sea, who are using Curtand#8217;s discoveries to preserve delicate marine habitats and protect the creatures who live in them. A Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor Book for Nonfiction.
Synopsis
Terri Roth trudges through the thick, dark Sumatran jungle. Sheand#8217;s looking for a rhinoceros thatand#8217;s been seen in the area. Itand#8217;s a rare Sumatran rhino, the worldand#8217;s smallest rhino and one of the most endangered mammals on the planet.Suddenly she spots a young female rhino through the tangle of ferns and trees. The stocky animal is covered in reddish hair, and her snout sports two stubby horns. The rhino walks right up to Terri. The scientist slowly reaches out her hand and touches the rhinoand#8217;s big nose. The wild rhinoand#8217;s curiosity and friendliness remind Terri of Emi, the female Sumatran rhino that lives at the Cincinnati Zoo where Terri works. Terri is working with Emi to help save Sumatran rhinos from extinctionand#151;one calf at a time.
Synopsis
In The Manatee Scientists, John Reynolds does an aerial count of manatees from the Florida sky; Lucy Keith spends a weekend rescuing manatees trapped in a dam in Senegal; and Fernando Rosas takes the author on an Amazonian boat trip, looking for a young manatee he released back into the wild, with emotional results. These scientists are working hard to save manatees: docile, large sea mammals who are eaten in some parts of the world, feared in others, and adored in still others. But factors such as human encroachment, disease, environmental hazards, and being hunted are causing their numbers to decline: they are an endangered species, in need of help.
Synopsis
Manatees are cute, charismatic, and endangered.and#160;and#160;Join author-photographer Pete Lourie on a journey around the worldand#160;(Florida, Brazil, and West Africa) as he profiles three scientists who are currently working towards getting this gentle sea mammaland#160;off the endangered species list.and#160;
Synopsis
Manatees are docile, large sea mammals who are eaten in some parts of the world, feared in others, and adored in still others.and#160; But human encroachment, disease, environmental hazards, and being hunted, among many other issues, are causing their numbers to decline.and#160;In Manatee Scientists, readers meetand#160;three scientistsand#160;working very hard in three different parts of the world to save the manatee.and#160;Get an eye-opening, close-up viewand#160;of their far-flung expeditions to Brazil, Senegal, and Florida in this beautifully photographed addition to the paperback collection of Scientist in the Field books.and#160;
About the Author
Mary Kay Carson and Tom Uhlman are married and live with their dog Ruby in a century-old house surrounded by deer, hawks, woodchucks, songbirds, and other creatures in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Tom Uhlman has been a freelance photographer for 25 years. He photographs lots of news and sporting events, but enjoys shooting pictures of wildlife and the natural world most of all. Visiting some of the most famous volcanos in the world and meeting the people who study them was a special treat. Tom's photographs can also be seen inandnbsp;upcoming Scientists in the Field book Park Scientists, and previously in Emi and the Rhino Scientist and The Bat Scientists