Animals with Jobs: Navy Dolphins

Grade 4-6-In Dogs, Presnall discusses the importance of these animals, what attributes are looked for in selecting canines to train, training, and a guide dog in action. Her current sources, excerpts from interviews, and generally well-chosen photographs add interest to the adequate text. One photograph shows hot dogs suspended by strings as the dog-in-training focuses on the task rather than the tasty treat. In Dolphins the author covers the use of these animals for military purposes, and their unique role in assisting the Navy in the rescue of personnel, identification of enemy swimmers, and detection of bombs and mines. She discusses the use of various training methods. There is no mention of the animal-rights issue of using dolphins in the naval service. However, given the lack of material on this topic her resource lists will be valuable. In both titles, many of the black-and-white and full-color photographs selected from photo archives enliven the texts, but others lack clarity and a number are purely decorative. Nonetheless, these titles will be of interest to readers eager to know more about the world of animals at work.