Amazing Animal Adventures in Rivers

Sandy Campbell is a reference librarian in the Science and Technology Library at the University of Alberta.

Brian Keating directs the Calgary Zoo’s Conservation Outreach Program
and with his wife, Dee, has travelled to many different natural areas.
The design of these books is similar to many elementary-level natural
history series. The Keatings’ excellent nature photography takes up
about half of each page. Photos are often the background to the text.
Important facts about animals are printed in separate boxes or sidebars,
on orange discs, and on images of coil notepads titled Brian’s Notes.
There are also Say the Word! boxes, which oddly, provide definitions
rather than pronunciation guides. These, along with brightly coloured
borders, titles, and backgrounds provide the attractive look of
children’s picture books. However, these are really travelogues,
cleverly packaged as childrens’ books.

While the text does deliver a lot of information about the animals in
various ecosystems, the books are written in the first person and tell
of the Keatings’ travels. The narrative is often linear, describing
camping, hiking, and wildlife experiences on a particular trip.

The reading level is incongruously high for the format of these
materials. The Teachers’ Guides, which are freely available at the
publishers’ website, refer to Grades 5–8. However, the reading level
is typically Grades 7–10.

It is nice to see curriculum support materials that are based in a
Canadian naturalist’s personal adventures and showcase his own fine
photographs. Recommended.