Dolphins

Christine Linge is a past director of the Toronto & District Parent
Co-operative Preschool Corporation and a freelance writer.

Bound in a handy size, these two new books in the Crabapples series
boast bright, modern graphics and bold colors.

In Dolphins, the illustrations complement the many vibrant photographs
culled from more than a dozen sources. Each spread features a specific
subject such as “What do dolphins eat?” and “The Dolphin Family
Tree.” Many facts are delivered in a few succinct paragraphs. Each of
six species of dolphin (one assumes this covers the entire dolphin
family) is featured. From the bright images and the unadorned but
readable text, the reader gains a working knowledge of dolphins in an
easily digested package.

A similar approach is used for Horses, although the authors focus less
on the animals’ biology (only four chapters, including “A horse’s
body” and “Colors and marks”) and more on their interaction with
humans (“Horse care” and “Saddle up”). Seven different breeds of
horse are discussed in as many chapters.

While one does not expect to find every scientific area explored in
these intentionally brief books, some confusion could have been avoided
by the addition of a few more words. The reader who reads that a
foal’s first drink is called colostrum may be surprised to later learn
that this word applies to all mammals.

As concise and attractive primers for the primary grades, these volumes
are highly recommended.