MotherReader

A very quick offering today because I’ve been clutter-busting at my house and I’m on a roll. It’s been slow going because I’m terrible at... things. Sorting them, organizing them, tossing them are all difficult for me. But I’m working hard, taking small breaks, and trying to keep focused. So here’s a backlist selection for your Nonfiction Monday, hosted today at The Children’s War.

Face to Face with Dolphins
by Flip and Linda Nicklin
Wonderful photos fill whole pages, drawing you into the scene. But with National Geographic as the publisher of this series, we can expect pretty pictures. What is special about this book is how the photographer recounts his experiences taking the pictures — and yes, it makes more of a connection to the photo of the Amazon River dolphin when we know that this was the dolphin that was playfully nibbling at his ankles as he shot the picture. There are lots of the usual facts about dolphins too, but the text has a personal, almost conversational touch to it. The book has little sections throughout — How to Swim Like a Dolphin, How to Speak Dolphin — that allow the reader to copy the dolphin’s style for a little fun and games. The series, Face to Face with Animals, also investigates sharks, lions, frogs, penguins, orangutans, cheetahs, gorillas, and more. Many of these titles come later than my reviewed selection, but I choose this book because I’d truly like to be face-to-face with a dolphin and I can’t say the same about sharks, lions, or frogs. Though penguins would be fun to hang out with. I bet they know all the cool places to go. Hah!