Quick! To the Bat-saur!
Monday, May 30, 2011
Change in Theme
So...after reviewing some resources, I was overwhelmed by how many superhero resources permeate libraries, DVDs, websites, and bookstores. To simplify a bit, I will focus on one hero...Batman.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Superheroes
So...did you notice the foreshadowing in one of my previous posts?
Next week, we're looking at superhero resources.
Next week, we're looking at superhero resources.
Say Woof!: The Day of a Country Veterinarian
Plot: The book introduces young readers to veterinarians by recording a typical day for a country vet. While he takes care of some animals in his clinic, he must also go on "house calls" to farms and dairies. Also, he must help animals in emergency situations.
Genre: Animals, Veterinarians
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Similar Titles: I Want to Be a Veterinarian, DK Readers: Animal Hospital
Personal Thoughts: Overall, a good picture-book introduction to veterinarians. The terms are simple, but not condescending and the illustrations are visually appealing. Includes a glossary at the end of the book.
Side note: I really like the lighting in the picture. I wonder if I can replicate it.
All Creatures Great and Small
Plot: Alf Wight, under the pen name James Herriot, reflects on his first few years as a veterinarian in pre-WWII Yorkshire. While much of his expertise relied on the quack remedies and educated guesses of the pre-antibiotic medical world, his experiences continue to resound with vets and animal lovers. His early adventures eventually guide him to "three cylinder" cows, bossy farm wives, escaping chickens, fainting cowman, dying horses, grumpy pigs, lovable lapdogs, and his wife.
Genre: Veterinarians, Animals, Biography
Reading Level: I started reading this in middle school, but some situations and technical terms may be ill-suited for the sensitive and squeamish.
Similar Titles: All Things Bright and Beautiful, Hero of the Herd, While You're Here, Doc: Farmyard Adventures of a Maine Veterinarian
Personal Thoughts: A must-read for animal lovers. The series seems to touch sentimentality of people who like animals. However, most of the reviews I read tend to ignore the grittier aspects of the book, such as the nature of the injuries or reactions of the owners. Veterinarians suffered (and continue to suffer) from the same degrees of frustration and joys as any other profession. Herriot addresses this fact, without becoming too mushy or too technical.
The series inspired a television program in 1972. It ran until 1990, and can still be found on DVD and NetFlix.
So, you wanna be a vet?
As I once mentioned, I am currently employed by an aquarium. Last week, I encountered a guest that insisted he/she wanted to be a veterinarian. While this is a common comment and reasonable expression, I wondered if he/she would really want to be a vet if he/she really knew how much work, politics, people, and science were involved with the occupation.
This week's theme is dedicated to him/her. We will review works about veterinarians.
This week's theme is dedicated to him/her. We will review works about veterinarians.
Monday, May 9, 2011
I'm Off
I hope you enjoyed the documentaries and documentary books reviewed last week. However, I will not post anything further this week. This week, I am taking a vacation, so I will not be able to update the blog. However, the reviews will continue next week. Enjoy!
On the road again...
Saturday, May 7, 2011
March of the Penguins: Companion to the Major Motion Picture
Jacquet, Luc; Maison, Jerome; and Fifield, Donnali. March of the Penguins: Companion to the Major Motion Picture. Washington, D.C. : National Geographic, 2006.
Plot: The book supplements the famous movie. Much of the text follows the narration of the film, garnished by attractive photographs and helpful captions.
Genre: Documentary-Books, Animals
Reading Level: Aimed at adults, but younger readers may it as well.
Similar Titles: Eye to Eye: Intimate Encounters with the Animal World, Penguins of the World
Personal Thoughts: Of all the books based on documentaries I read this week, this one was the most similar to the original source. The text was light but meaningful while the photos were gorgeous yet complementary. As a result, the book provides an ideal companion to the movie.
As a side note, I tried to copy the cover with Jerome and Toothless. I'm not sure if it worked.
March of the Penguins
Plot: The movie follows an extraordinary event in Antarctica. Every March, emperor penguins leave the comfort and safety of the ocean and slowly move across land. They travel to their breeding grounds, where they mate. While the females return to water to recover from the egg-producing process, the males wait on land for the entire winter. When warmer weather finally returns, the females arrive to feed and tend the newly-hatched chicks. Both the parents care for the young bird until it is finally ready to live on its own.
Genre: Documentary, Animals
Reading Level: Rated G. However, there are some "Bambi's mom"-esque moments, so be prepared.
Similar Titles: Winged Migration
Personal Thoughts: A rare, commercially successful full-screen documentary. The popularity is not difficult to understand. With beautiful photography, narration by Morgan Freeman, and classical music, the film manages to capture the audience in the life and death struggles of an otherwise comical bird.
The film won several awards, including an Academy Award, Cesar Award, and Southeaster Film Critics Association Award.
Planet Earth as You've Never Seen It Before
Plot: The book, spawned by the popular television series, focuses on the natural history of the planet. Like the series, the book displays beautiful visuals about rare, famous, and/or elusive animals throughout the world.
Genre: Documentary, Animals
Reading Level: The language may discourage younger readers.
Similar Titles: Through the Lens, Life: Extraordinary Animals, Extreme Behaviors
Personal Thoughts: The book is beautiful and well-suited for a coffee table status. However, the writing remains extremely dry. Unlike the narration of the series, the book does not flow very well and information does not seem as accessible. Still, the captions are appealing and add greatly to the photographs, which are stills from the original documentary.
Planet Earth
Plot: The British Broadcasting Corporation made a remarkable series recording some of the remarkable life present on the planet. Eleven episodes, arranged by habitat (for example, rainforests and shallow seas), display popular, as well as less famous, animals through formal narration, incredible cinematography, and creative music. Additionally, three episodes focus on conservation issues facing the planet.
Genre: Documentary, Animals, Conservation
Reading Level: Unrated, but some predation is present, so the sensitive may prefer a different documentary.
Similar Titles: Life of Birds, Life, Earth
Personal Thoughts: The photography for the series is amazing, both for its clarity and its subject. Animals are infamously difficult to film (there is a reason most directors refuse to work with them) and most episodes include a brief commentary of the difficulties facing the photographers. Yet, their efforts are well rewarded, both by the quality of the film and the critical praise of the Royal Television Society, Emmy Awards, Peabody Awards, and Broadcasting Press Guild.
My only complaint involves the conservation episodes. Instead of showing active conservation efforts or issues, most of the episodes focus on, as a co-worker of mine would say, talking heads. As a result, audience interest dies quickly.
Friday, May 6, 2011
Meerkat Manor: Flower of the Kalahari
Plot: The book follows the remarkable life of Flower, a meerkat in the Kalahari Desert. She transitions from a juvenile to the dominant female of her group, known as the famous Whiskers in the Animal Planet series. The book includes information not given in the series, such as Flower's pre-dominant life, Zephod's introduction, and other groups' interactions. Additionally, the book offers a "behind the scenes" look at the biologists' concerns, such as the purpose of the meerkat studies, similar animal studies, and filming issues.
Genre: Documentary-Books, Animals
Reading Level: A fairly accommodating book, but some may not be comfortable with its references to sex, infanticide, and predation.
Similar Titles: Meerkat Mail, Meerkats
Personal Thoughts: I liked the book more than the series. Before anyone ascribes the fact to "typical librarian behavior," the reasons exist beyond the television vs. book debate. The book offers more detail, extended facts, and better explanations than the series. Also, the animals and their actions are described from the perspective of a scientist trying to understand meerkats, so the "straight facts" are more accessible. The author also includes more information on other animals the meerkats encounter, as well as animals that have similar lifestyles to meerkats. Overall, the book seems more complete than the series.
Meerkat Manor
Plot: A part documentary, part soap opera, the series follows the daily life of several meerkats in the Whiskers group. Several other groups, such as Commandos and Vivian, regularly come in contact with the Whiskers, often with violent results. Yet, drama also occurs within the group itself. Flower, the original dominant female, shamelessly uses aggression to ward off all up-and-coming meerkats, including her own daughters. Likewise, Zephod, Flower's main mate, must constantly battle to maintain his position within the group. Additionally, all the meerkats must defend themselves against hunger, whether, and predators. Eventually, Flower is replaced by her daughter, Rocket Dog, as the dominant female. Yet, the drama of the desert-dwelling meerkats continues.
Genre: Documentary, Documentary Series, Animals
Reading Level: Not rated, but predation and infantcide does occur, so younger viewers may need to be cautioned.
Similar Titles: Nature, March of the Penguins
Personal Thoughts: After viewing a few episodes, the popularity of the show does not surprise me. The series balances drama, characterization, and biology nicely. However, some of the terms seem to anthropomorphize a bit too much. For those unfamiliar with the term, "anthropomorphizing" means to give an inhuman object (such as an animal) human-like qualities. While many shows utilize this to attract the audience, it seems like a stark contrast to the book that the series spawned.
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