Looking for Seabirds: Journal from an Alaskan Voyage by Sophie Webb (1 bk)

Webb, Sophie. (2004). Looking for seabirds: journal from an Alaskan voyage. New
York: Houghton Mifflin. 48 pages. ISBN # 0-618-21235-3

Award: Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12, 2005
Orbis Pictus Recommended Title, 2005

Genre: informational

Subject: science

Grade: 4th-6th

Credibility of author: The author thanked Guy Guthridge from the National Science Foundation’s Antarctic Artists and Writers Program. He also thanked the captain and crew of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ship the David Starr Jordan, as well as, the captain and crew of the ship Alpha Helix.

Summary: This book is written in the form of journal entries documenting the author’s work, along with other scientists, on the ship Alpha Helix through the Aleutian Islands in Alaska. The author’s job is to census seabirds as an indicator of available food for the Stellar’s sea lions. The more seabirds that are spotted, the more food there is available for animals feeding high in the food chain.

Standards: History and Nature of Science VIII, Science in Personal and Social Perspectives VI, Life Science IV: Environment and Ecology

Illustrations: The illustrations are watercolor gouache and graphite with captions underneath. Also included are a map of the Aleutian Islands, a chart showing the geography and contours of the sea floor, a graph from the acoustic ray, and a diagram of a neoprene survival suit.

Text font: set in Diotima and Marydale

Text structure: chronological

Tone: conversational

Voice: The author communicates a passion for her job in her writing.

Access features: Acknowledgements, combination glossary/subject index

Use: I would use this book when teaching about the food web and the effect pollution and litter has on the ecosystem. It would be a good book for students to read about the role of zooplankton and phytoplankton after examining real specimens in water samples we had collected. Also, this would be a good book for students to use for research during our ornithology (birding) unit. I would use this book for guided reading and independent reading for research.

Response: The week before reading this book, I completed a week-long water lab course for teachers centering on biology and ecology. One of the things we did was take water samples and observe zooplankton and phytoplankton from the Tenn-Tom Waterway. We also identified types of birds feeding along the waters. While reading this book, I got so excited at how well it tied into what I had just finished studying. I kept thinking about how I could use this book with my students when teaching them what I had learned. I will definitely incorporate this book into my lessons!

Related texts: Ice Bear: In the Steps of the Polar Bear features animal life in the same setting of Antarctica. While this is a simpler book, it would be enjoyable for this age level as well.