Dolphins In Danger (Adventures of Riley)

Riley travels to the South Pacific island of Moorea with his Uncle Max, Aunt Martha, and Cousin Alice to study the local spinner dolphin population, and Riley ends up helping to save a pod of dolphins that becomes trapped in a lagoon.

K-Gr. 3. This lively book, part of the Adventures of Riley series, is something of a muddle, but there's plenty to interest children. Young Riley and his family are off to the South Pacific island of Moorea. Unfortunately, this bit of information appears on the title page, so those who miss it will feel the story begins abruptly. Once on Moorea, they meet a marine biologist, Dr. Poole (a real scientist, as the back matter indicates), who introduces the flora and fauna of the region, including spinner dolphins, several of which are trapped in a lagoon. There's a rather lame running joke about Riley's using a whistle to teach the dolphin tricks, but whistles turn out to be the very thing that helps free them. The format is cluttered, though the cartoon-style illustrations are very attractive; sometimes the characters appear with photos of scenery and dolphins. Sidebars are visually disruptive, but they do add information. A glossary is appended, and back matter invites kids to get a Riley passport (with adult help). Ilene Cooper
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