Seals

Ian Wylie Toal is a Martindale-based freelance science writer.

I started Seals not expecting to be very impressed by it. I don’t find
seals very interesting and am a little suspicious of picture books in
general because the text often seems like an afterthought. However, I
was pleasantly surprised—the clear, concise writing in this book
actually made seals seem interesting, and the photographs added to the
text instead of dominating it.

The structure of the book is fairly simple. An introduction briefly
describes what makes a seal a seal. This is followed by a chapter that
discusses the three types of seals—true seals, eared seals, and
walruses—and where each is found. A detailed life history of the
Northern fur seal is presented, describing the gathering of males and
females at the Alaskan breeding grounds, their breeding rituals, the
pups’ first summer, and the departure of the seals to their winter
wanderings. There are three chapters discussing how seals are designed
to survive cold temperatures, dive in deep water, and hunt underwater.
The book closes with a brief (and uncontroversial) chapter on seals and
people.

As mentioned, the writing is very clear, and moves along smoothly.
Although Seals was written for a juvenile audience, I was able to read
it without feeling that I was being talked down to. An indication of
this is how well the author slips in scientific terminology without
interrupting the flow of the text: “Because of the shape of their
limbs, biologists call seals pinnipeds—meaning ‘wing- or
fin-footed’.” Once the terminology is introduced, it is used
consistently throughout the text.

The text is augmented by a number of diagrams, a couple of maps, and
photographs. The diagrams and maps are generally good, although the one
depicting pinniped ancestors may be a little confusing for someone
unfamiliar with evolutionary family trees. The pictures are not flashy,
but are good illustrative shots of seals (all are in color).

Seals is aimed at a juvenile reader, but because of the way it is
written, it should be accessible even to preschoolers. Adults reading it
to children will also learn a lot about seals.