I Am a Seal: The Life of an Elephant Seal

By Todd Ouren and Darlene R. Stille

Learn how elephant seals live in the ocean, meet their friends, and see their natural habitat.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Capstone Young Readers
• Release date: Aug 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9781663998545

Book preview

Reviews for I Am a Seal

[jamiesque · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

While 'I Am a Seal' is a nonfiction written for younger readers, it may not be the most effective way to clarify the genre. Younger readers often assume that hand-drawn illustrations are relegated to fiction. While the illustrations in the book are charming and cute they do not include much scientific detail that distinguish them from drawings in the fiction category. The soft, fuzzy depiction does not call to mind nonfiction. While this may not seem like a major detriment, when coupled with less than accurate text, the quibble becomes more notable. The title "I Am a Seal" is an example of how pandering to a cuteness factor muddies the credibility of the book. The seal narrates the book, telling it from first person perspective. In a classroom, one way to distinguish fiction from non is reality. Seal do not speak English. This narration is compounded by the attributions of human feelings, "When I was a month old, my mother left. She knew it was time for me to start growing up." The conversational, informative tone also detracts from imbibing the information as fact. While there are boxes containing additional facts, there are no labels, charts or other aids that would give the book a nonfiction appearance. The positive aspects of the is the interesting language that helps the reader integrate into the world of the elephant seal, "It's dark and quiet down here in the deep water. I use my big eyes and good ears to hunt...Hear comes a squid. YUM!" As shown in the quote, the book also uses onomatopoeia frequently. The text also defines some vocabulary in a non-invasive manner. "The beach is where we were all born. It's called a rookery," and "In summer, I come here to molt. That's when all my fur rubs off." After the text there is an illustration of an elephant seal and it is labeled. Why not place it in the front of the book in order to establish legitimacy and serve as a sort of prereading diagram. There are also fun facts and a small glossary consisting of four words. There are web links, one of which did not work. The others were sparse and aimed at adults. It is a discouraging trend to read a children's book that directs the reader to a non-specific site that can just as easily be found via Google.