Amazing Animal Adventures in Rivers

Sylvia Pantaleo is an associate professor of education at the University
of Victoria. She is the co-author of Learning with Literature in the
Canadian Elementary Classroom.

As director of the Conservation Outreach Program at the Calgary Zoo,
Keating has travelled to many locations all over the world. These two
books convey textual and visual information about his river and island
adventures. At the beginning of each book is a world map showing the
places Keating and his wife visited. The format, structure, and layout
of each book are similar. Colourful photographs, varying in size, appear
on every page, and on several pages text is superimposed on the
photographs. Interesting facts about the indigenous inhabitants and the
geography of each destination are featured in sidebars, boxes, and
orange ovals, as well as on images of a coiled notebook titled
“Brian’s Notes.” Boxes titled “Say the Word” highlight key
terms; although brief definitions are provided, pronunciation guides are
not. Varying colours are used for the background of the pages and the
fonts. Although the pages are visually attractive, an abundance of
continuous text that exceeds the reading level of the format of the
books dominates some pages.

The text is similar to a travelogue. Keating’s first-person narrative
provides details about his travels, as well as facts about the featured
destinations. At the end of the books, he provides a list of
organizations and websites for those who are interested in learning more
about—or becoming involved in—wildlife conservation. Part of the
Going Wild series, these appealing books are written to encourage
readers to explore their natural world. Highly recommended.