California Sea Lions

Gr 2–3—These picture-book introductions present basic facts in an easy-to-follow format with sparkling full-color photographs on every other page. The simple sentences often use vivid language, e.g., the orca's "top and bottom teeth fit together like a zipper," or "California sea lions are chatty." Readers learn that California sea lions live 20 years or more, baby bottlenose dolphins stay with their mothers for about 6 years, and the orca is the top ocean predator. Each title uses silhouettes of a scuba diver to show the animals' relative sizes. A small but clear world map in each volume shows the range of the marine mammal (although the range designation doesn't show up for the California sea lion). The only website referenced is the publisher's facthound.com. Colorful and attractive covers will invite young readers in, and the text and images will keep them turning pages.—Frances E. Millhouser, formerly at Chantilly Regional Library, Fairfax County, VA