You're in the water, and suddenly, right beside you, he is beaming brightly. You're face to face with a dolphin, one of the friendliest mammals on Earth. Dive deep into the realm of dolphins with Flip Nicklin, one of the world's foremost photographers of these smiling wonders. Meet dolphin types, from botus to orcas to bottlenose; see how they nurse, fish, and echolocate. Nicklin's enthusiasm and the special kinship we all feel for these intelligent creatures is an inspiration to all readers to take action to help protect their ocean home.

You slip over the side of your boat, descending deep into the dark realm of the Earth’s largest creature. Then the whale starts to sing, just feet away from you. Photographer Flip Nicklin brings you face to face with whales as they communicate, nurse their young, and surface dramatically for air. Learn of the different kinds of whales, discover how we can aid their recovery from years of overhunting, and how we can protect their environment.

Take an intimate look at the marine creatures dearest to us: our fellow sea-born mammals-dolphins, porpoises, and whales. Joining superb nature writing with spectacular photography, Gentle Giants surveys 80 species, explores their mysterious origins, and examines the amazing qualities cetaceans have in common with people. Finally, their awesome power to heal is revealed in the context of their complex, and ironically often painful, relationship with humans. AUTHOR: Isabelle Groc, a freelance writer and photographer based in Vancouver, British Columbia, has contributed to various publications including Canadian Wildlife, Canadian Geographic, High Country News, and E/The Environmental Magazine. She is the winner of major environmental studies fellowships and the 2005 CBC David Suzuki Nature in Focus Environmental Photography Competition. ILLUSTRATIONS: 221 colour photographs

Carefully leveled text and fresh, vibrant photos engage young readers in learning about dolphins. Age-appropriate critical thinking questions and a photo glossary help build nonfiction learning skills.

With longer words and sentences, varied language patterns, and full-spread illustration-enhanced photographs, progressing readers learn about the bottlenose dolphin's life cycle and eating habits. Children who are practicing common words and letter sounds will build confidence as they recognize familiar words and expand their vocabulary. Aligned to Common Core standards and correlated to state standards. Magic Readers is an imprint of Magic Wagon, a division of ABDO.

Close-up photographs highlight the story of young African cheetahs.

"Information and photographs about dolphins"--