Saturday, February 11, 2012

O’Connell. The Elephant Scientist


O’Connell, Caitlin & Donna M. Jackson     The Elephant Scientist   
Houghton Mifflin/Clarion/Graphia/Kingfisher     2011  72p      17.99 978-0-547-05344-8 ms/hs E-BNS       
    In this newest addition to the superb series Scientists in the Field, naturalists and photographers Caitlin O’Connell and Timothy Rodwell take their readers on a trip through the harsh environment of the African scrub desert of Etosha National Park to follow the movements of the elephants.   In this newest addition to the superb series Scientists in the Field, naturalists and photographers Caitlin O’Connell and Timothy Rodwell take their readers on a trip through the harsh environment of the African scrub desert of Etosha National Park.  The pair began as volunteers in several animal research projects in Namibia and became involved in studying elephants’ movements in Etosha.  There, O’Connell made a groundbreaking discovery in the field of elephant communication by determining that the elephants could feel distant vibrations in the ground and could “sense and respond to seismic clues.”
            Written in an engaging manner and beautifully presented, the author offers a scientific travelogue of their three-year expedition to the wild lands of the national park.  The book is filled with unique stories about these great mammals and their natural world and is greatly enhanced by exceptional color photographs that show the environmental and zoological aspects of the region.  The book contains a series of extras:  methods of identifying specific elephants, sidebar fact boxes, O’Connell’s advice to young conservationists, how to help conservation efforts by supporting organizations that work to protect the elephant, unique facts and statistics about the animals, a glossary, author and photographer notes and a link to their web sites, and an index.
      Scientists In the Field (HM)#8      The exemplary series contains various outstanding titles about scientists who work in the natural world and make science and nature study much more accessible and interesting to budding naturalists.  These books offer an incredible look into hidden worlds at the frontiers of human knowledge.  The text is clearly written and the awesome photographs are carefully presented and enhance the text. African Elephants Susan Ogintz

 

No comments: