Review by Booklist Review
Turner, whose books include Gorilla Doctors (2005) and The Frog Scientist (2009), introduces the work of the Tagging of Pacific Predators project, in which scientists use electronic tags to trace the routes of hard-to-observe ocean animals. The first chapter shows the scientists tagging a leatherback turtle and tracking her course. The next chapter involves monitoring a bluefin tuna, which crisscrosses the Pacific for two years. In the next, a child finds a great white shark's tag in a tide pool and returns it to the project. The last follows two mated shearwaters, seabirds that raise their young and then fly separately for thousands of miles before reuniting the following fall. In each chapter, a clearly delineated map makes it easy to follow the animals' routes, and many clear color photos show the animals and the scientists who study them. Additional information on the four species is appended, along with lists of recommended reading, films, and Web sites. A clearly written presentation of an unusual topic.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2009 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-6-In 2000, a multinational group of scientists created the Tagging of Pacific Predators project (TOPP) to study the dwindling numbers of ocean predators and find ways to save them. This book reports on the work of scientists who fitted four species with satellite tags-loggerhead turtles, great white sharks, bluefin tuna, and sooty shearwater seabirds. The succinct text describes where the animals were found, how they were tagged, and what information the scientists gleaned as they traced migration routes, located feeding and breeding grounds, recorded the distances traveled and the length of time it took, and so on. Some basic facts about the creatures are incorporated as well, such as outstanding physical and behavioral characteristics, senses, and diet. The chapter on loggerhead turtles also describes a "race" between 11 female turtles to see which one reached the Galapagos Islands first after laying eggs in Costa Rica. One or two sharp color photographs or illustrations appear on every page; they depict the animals (the underwater shots of sharks are particularly good) and some of the scientists involved in the project. A map of the Pacific, with colored silhouettes of the animals and lines indicating their travel routes, appears at the end of each chapter. An addendum cites the current estimated population figures for the predators discussed. Students of marine life and its conservation, as well as budding oceanographers, will find this title illuminating.-Karey Wehner, formerly at San Francisco Public Library (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Scientists connected with the TOPP (Tagging of Pacific Predators) project follow 23 species of ocean animals fitted with radio transmitters or data collectors documenting their travels throughout the Pacific. This attractive science title describes their experiences with loggerhead turtles, bluefin tuna, white sharks and sooty shearwaters. The author introduces specific scientists as well as young people involved in the studies: schoolchildren following turtles in an on-line "race" and a five-year-old who found a shark tag on the beach. Clear maps show the travels of each species, and a summary map puts them all together. Extensively illustrated with color photographs and designed so readers can easily distinguish the sections, this will immediately appeal to young nature lovers, but the limited text raises too many questions. Some come from the research: Why do male and female shearwaters migrate up different sides of the Pacific? Others are more basic: Just what is a predator? A helpful list of text, Internet and DVD resources will allow curious readers to explore the project further. (Informational picture book. 8-12) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
