Astro: The Steller Sea Lion (Arbordale Collection) - Hardcover

Jeanne Walker Harvey

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1607188600 ISBN 13: 9781607188605

Publisher: Sylvan Dell Publishing, 2013

Synopsis

Astro is a stellar Steller sea lion! Only a few days old when found orphaned, he is cared for and raised at The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, California. When big enough to be released to the wild where he needs to be, he has other plans! Just like a lost dog finding his way home, Astro keeps swimming back towards the Center, crossing miles of open ocean water to do so. After several attempts, people realize that Astro is too accustomed to humans and will just keep coming back. Based on real events, readers follow Astro through some of his travels that have now taken him across the U.S. to his current home at the Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut.

Mom's Choice Award Gold

4 pg For Creative Minds educational section in the back
31 pg cross-curricular Teaching Activities and 3 Interactive Quizzes available free on the book's homepage
eBooks with Auto-Flip, Auto-Read and selectable English and Spanish text and audio
Aligned to State Standards / Lexile, Guided Reading, AR, Reading Counts, and Fountas & Pinnell

About this title

About the Author:

Jeanne Walker Harvey teaches Language Arts and a Writing Workshop at her local public middle school. She is a member of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators with many magazine articles to her credit, including articles about nature and marine animals. She lives in Marin County, California with her husband, two teenage sons, and a black lab who sits at her feet when she writes. Astro: The Steller Sea Lion is her debut picture book.

Review:

Gr 3-4 Harvey tells a gentle tale of an orphaned Steller sea lion pup whose early imprinting on his human nurturers at the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, CA, leaves him determinedly reluctant to live in the wild on any terms. Bersani's nearly photographic illustrations keep perfect time with the simple text, showing the pup returning to the center each time he is released. Adults will cheer at the "For Creative Minds" section, replete with activities, maps, further data, and advice on linking with a website for more curriculum-oriented exploration.Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY © Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. --School Library Journal

While only a few days old, an orphaned Steller sea lion pup is rescued by California's Marine Mammal Center staff, who name him Astro. After much nurturing and care, Astro is healthy enough to return to the ocean, but because of his bonding with humans, he persistently returns to land, preferring people and populated settings to sea life. Ultimately, Astro finds a permanent and happy residence at Connecticut s Mystic Aquarium. Harvey's debut picture book is a fictionalized account of the real-life Astro s experiences, and the lively text, printed in a large, easy-to-read type, is filled with intriguing specifics: baby Astro is fed a whipped-cream-and-herring smoothie, for example. The photorealistic, mixed-media illustrations have a flat feel, but the characters expressive faces bring some emotional depth. The extensive back matter includes Steller Sea Lion facts; a map-related activity; an anagram to remember events in a sea lion's life cycle; and the similarities and differences between sea lions and seals. A touching, informative introduction to the species. Grades 1-3. --Shelle Rosenfeld --BookList

About this edition

• Publisher: Sylvan Dell Publishing
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 1607188600
• ISBN 13: 9781607188605
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Shennen Bersani