On this hot, summer day, we went under the sea to explore and understand the complex lives of the over 30,000 species of fish. Or, fishes. Mary chose this book, which she discovered at the Red Feather public library. She found the book to be a readable mix of anecdote and science, and a way to help us be open to life on our planet. This book was intended for a broad audience.
Maddy liked the book, but thought it to be rather dense, and opted to illustrate some of the information after reading about 60% of the book. Wish I could download a photo of that, but alas, a fish probably has better technology savvy than I do. (A fish swam by and left the drawings below.)
There was much discussion about the "science" of the book; Libby found some of it to be hokey. She thought it had a whimsical, children's book feel about it. But she also appreciated the breathtaking diversity of these creatures, so well documented in the book.
Many of us were turned off by some of the cruelty of the scientific experiments, as well as some of the premises for conducting the experiments. Caged primates compared to schools of fish?? Paige found the author to be biased, as everything was explained through the eyes of a human.
But, the book did prompt discussion about intelligence vs. evolution, instinct vs. memory, and nature vs. nurture. Are fish really sentient creatures?
Hopefully, this book will give the reader a more enlightened appreciation of these marine animals, and therefore greater respect for the important role they play on our planet.
Annie
Thank you for posting Maddy's drawing. I believe it was a Libby-fish that did it.
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