A Dolphin Named Bob [Paperback]

Twig C. George (Author), Christine Herman (Illustrator), Christine Herman Merrill (Photographer)

Book Description

Age Level: 7 and up

With a mind of her own and a knack for creating chaos, Aster the dolphin was often the center of attention at the Aquarium. That is, until she had Bob.
When he was born, Bob was a scrawny dolphin, with an unusual, comet-shaped mark on his drooping dorsal fin. Like hs mother, Bob was ornery, and he stubbornly struggled with health problems to survive. He, too, loved to jump high in the air and perform dolphin tricks. One day he jumped into more trouble than any other dolphin in the history of the Aquarium.
Based on true dolphin stories, Twig C. George's warm and humorous novel is filled with dolphin antics and the pleasures of working with marine animals at an aquarium.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-6?The author's note states that this story "...is based on the real lives of several dolphins." A young, beached dolphin is raised in an aquarium and then, 10 years later, despite frailty and advanced age, gives birth to a baby that seems to have inherited her intelligence and stubborn personality. When young Bob leaps from the nursery tank to the performing pool and refuses to leave, the popular dolphin shows must be canceled. However, the staff is told that the mayor is going to be in the audience and that there must be a show for him. To insure Bob's safety, only his mother can perform. Everyone in the audience is disappointed, even angry, until bright little Bob begins to jump along with her. Then all are thrilled and, as luck would have it, Bob finally decides to return to the nursery tank. The audience's response to the dilemma seems questionable?surely visitors to a dolphin-rescue aquarium would be understanding if a baby dolphin's safety were at stake. George presents interesting information, including the behavior, raising, and training of dolphins in captivity, but her story simply doesn't hold water. Bob's opportune decision to perform for a disgruntled city official becomes a rather soggy ending to this tale.?Carla Kozak, San Francisco Public Library
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 2^-5. George recounts the life and antics of a young Atlantic bottle-nosed dolphin at the Maryland State Aquarium. Although Bob faces many obstacles following his birth at the Marine Mammal Pavilion, the highly intelligent and determined calf survives and flourishes to become a popular (albeit unpredictable) star in the dolphin shows. Although the author's purpose seems to be to convey information about the environment, behavior, and life cycle of these creatures, she has chosen a fictional format and states that Bob and his mother are composites of several real dolphins. This type of structure often proves disastrous; however, George pulls it off. Bob and his mischievous pranks are so appealing that readers are likely to absorb the information naturally along with the story. A good read-aloud choice for classes studying marine mammals. Kay Weisman

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers; 1st edition (February 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060253622
• ISBN-13: 978-0060253622
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,705,897 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Good Dolphin Story!, November 22, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Dolphin Named Bob (Trophy Chapter Books) (Paperback)

If you have ever visited Sea World or any other metropolitan area aquarium, you will especially enjoy this book. It tells the story of a young female dolphin named Aster and the son she gives birth to at an aquarium on the East Coast.

The story begins when Aster is accidentally washed onto the seashore and is unable to swim back into the ocean on her own. She lies stranded on the beach for a long time and nearly dies. A woman, affiliated with the local area aquarium, finds her and takes her to the aquarium where she is slowly nursed back to health. Due to a physical ailment, Aster is unable to ever return to her ocean home and, consequently, becomes a permanent resident of the aquarium. Years later, she gives birth to a male dolphin at the aquarium.

This story provides a wonderful insight into the dolphin world. The reader learns all about dolphin families and how they behave with their human trainers in an aquarium environment. The book also keeps the reader's interest as the story of Aster and Bob unfolds. The mother dolphin and her son are dearly loved by all at the aquarium, however, their antics cause great problems for the aquarium staff!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and highly recommend it. It is interesting, it is funny, and it is sad. But most of all, it is a great way to learn more about these marvelous and intelligent mammals!

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A must read book, March 2, 2001

A Kid's Review

This review is from: A Dolphin Named Bob (Trophy Chapter Books) (Paperback)

This book is a non-fiction book about a female dolphin named Aster. It is an interesting story of a dolphin's survival in captivity. When she was about ten months old she was washed ashore. She was about to die when a group of bird watchers discovered her. They put her in one of the bird-watcher's cars and took her to the Maryland State Aquarium. While the trainers were taking care of Aster and the other dolphins, Aster becomes pregnant. Since dolphins often die in childbirth, everyone was worried. Read to find out what happens to Aster. I think that this would be a great book for kids aged 9-11.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Amazing Dophin, November 21, 2000

By 

Hannah McGuire (Cleveland,Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Dolphin Named Bob (Trophy Chapter Books) (Paperback)

I think that A Dolphin Named Bob is a really good book. I liked the book because I really like dolphins. This book is about two dolphins named Aster and Bob. Aster was sick and stranded on the beach with no food or water. Some bird watchers found her and brought her to the closest aquarium. Aster was pregnant; Aster had a very scrawny baby. The trainers named the dolphin Bob, but they didn't think he would live. To find out if Bob did live, read A Dolphin Named Bob. I think you will like it a lot.