ANIMALS MIGRATING

“If you were an animal and moved to a new home, you would have migrated,” says Kaner in her introduction, then proceeds using this imprecise definition to describe movements of lemmings, whales, terns, dragonflies, butterflies, salmon, eels, newts, sea turtles and more. Reasons for animal migrations and mechanisms are complex and varied. This superficial treatment, without sources or notes, puzzles more than it enlightens. When the tail of a palolo worm detaches with its egg case, is the tail really migrating as the author states? Is a fish migrating when it uses its swim bladder to move up and down in the water? A few marginal experiments are included, for example: “Beautiful blubber” demonstrates how fat insulates whales on their two-month journey south to breeding grounds. And a simple experiment with cupcake papers and an electric light models thermal air currents. Illustrations are colorful, but not drawn to scale. This important topic deserves a more thoughtful treatment. (index) (Nonfiction. 8-10)