Wild, Wild World: Whales and Other Sea Animals ~ Anita Ganeri ( 2001, Parragon Publishing)

Summary: This book is set-up in a question and answer format. The questions range from, do whales have teeth? To, why are sea mammals in danger? The book has 42 questions that are all answered with factual information. There are also some facts buried within these questions on several different pages of the book. This book is part of a series 8 book series about other animals that have inhabited the Earth. 


My Review: I like this book. I like that it is non-fiction and that I can use this to start teaching about whales and other mammals. There are great pictures that help explain some of the questions. There are also names (labels) for all of the mammals in the book. 


About the Author: Ganeri is the author of over 300 informational children's books. She is the author of the award winner series Horrible Geography. She does a majority of her research at the Royal Geographical Society of which she is a Fellow. She also has written and edited for several magazines. She offers school visits and workshops that encourages non-fiction writing across the curriculum. 


Genre: Non-Fiction, Science Information
Theme / Skill: Asking relevant questions about a topic. 
Age Level: 7-10


Pre/ Post-reading activity: Create a KWL chart with students about what they KNOW about whales and what they WANT to know about them. After reading, write down the things that students LEARNED about whales. Ask them what ways they could find out more information about whales. (ex. another book, videos, internet search, asking a scientist)