Stranded : Stormy's Adventure

by Mary H. Wright

Stranded, Stormy's Adventure is based on the true story of Stormy, an 18-month-old bottlenose dolphin who was separated from his mother during a tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico and stranded on... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Library Binding
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0964549301
• ISBN13: 9780964549302
• Release Date: December 1999
• Publisher: Rita Mills Publishing
• Length: 42 Pages
• Weight: 0.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

Great Selection for Kids

It is a very entertaining and educational book based on a moving true story. The book is refreshingly written from a dolphin's point of view, and the illustrations are vividly rendered. Kids will not only enjoy but also learn a lot from reading this book.

A Teaching Tool

As a collector of children's literature, I can see that the genius of the book lies in the fact that the narrative focuses on feelings familiar to children: separation from a parent, getting lost, and the threat of physical harm from a bully - in this case a shark! The story may even work to lessen fear in children as Stormy's escape shows that injuries are not necessarily fatal and can be overcome. Instead of reporting Stormy's condition secondhand, from the perspective of a concerned adult, the author dramatizes Stormy's perilous journey from a first-dolphin point of view, evoking the listener's sympathy for a creature possibly just as complex, just as sensitive as ourselves.Stranded, Stormy's Adventure might have been written to highlight the role of the Texas Marine Mammal Stranding Network, but the book is also full of basic biological and ecological facts about dolphins. As Stormy's adventure unfolds, children encounter these concepts - not bluntly, in the form of a lecture, but organically, as a natural part of the narrative. Stormy must learn survival skills from elders, just as young humans do. The reader hears him click and whistle, demonstrating the cetacean form of communication, and learn the role of Stormy's dorsal fin in helping him to maintain balance. Stormy also experiences the dangers of his ocean habitat: dolphins can get caught in fishing nets and might run out of air underwater.The double-page spreads keep the action flowing as the plot progresses. Reading skills are reinforced by the placement of the text within the pictures, showing the connection between verbal and pictorial representation. C.A. Guire's renderings of the dolphin's features and expression are obviously well researched.I recommend Stranded, Stormy's Adventure to all elementary science teachers, and anyone interested in exposing children to the fauna of the Gulf Coast.K.B. Hollingsworth, Educator

Stranded, Stormy's Adventure

"It's a new take on the coming-of-age story. It's a telling narrative of self-discovery with intense action sequences and the main character is a dolphin. In fact, give or take a few token sharks and humans, all the characters are dolphins." R.Baca, Corpus Christi Caller-Times