Customer Reviews

All About Manatees

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I bought this for my grandson and he loved it. A perfect gift for him.

Manatees are very special gentle giants. They "neither threaten nor are threatened by any other wildlife," a very unique trait in this world. They live and thrive in warm water and if the water temperature dips below 68 degrees Fahrenheit, they can actually die. Another threat to these gentle creatures are propeller blades from boats. These mammals are distant relatives of elephants and you can easily "see the resemblance in a manatee's thick gray skin." Fully grown they can be quite heavy at a whopping 3,000 pounds or more and can "grow to be 13 feet long."

The manatees we have in the states are known as Florida manatees, but their true name is the West Indian Manatee. In this book you will learn about their population, their habitat, their habits, why they tend to hang around power plants (very interesting), their physical characteristics, their temperament, how they maneuver through the water, what they eat, their breeding habits and how they raise their young. Do manatees sleep? If you want to know the answer to that question, you'll have to read the book.

Jim Arnosky's vivid wildlife illustrations are always stunning and this book is no exception. Many people are used to reading story book renditions of his works, but this nonfiction story about the manatees will not disappoint. If anything, this book would compliment his other works quite nicely. If you love these gentle giants, you'll be thrilled with this wonderful book!