I am a Seal: The Life of an Elephant Seal written by Darlene R. Stille and illustrated by Todd Ouren is an informational picture book about Elephant Seals and their habitat. This book has a ton of information throughout the text and a “Learn More” section including an index in the back of the book. I plan to read this book to my students in mid-February as we continual the ongoing process of responding to information text. The illustrations in this book are bright and reminded me of a warm day at the beach. This book also included page numbers. I love page numbers, because I can ask my students to refer back to page during whole group discussions. In addition, the book also introduces math terms my students may not be familiar with, which will added an additional layer of rich discussion and writing. ( )

While 'I Am a Seal' is a nonfiction written for younger readers, it may not be the most effective way to clarify the genre. Younger readers often assume that hand-drawn illustrations are relegated to fiction. While the illustrations in the book are charming and cute they do not include much scientific detail that distinguish them from drawings in the fiction category. The soft, fuzzy depiction does not call to mind nonfiction. While this may not seem like a major detriment, when coupled with less than accurate text, the quibble becomes more notable.
The title "I Am a Seal" is an example of how pandering to a cuteness factor muddies the credibility of the book. The seal narrates the book, telling it from first person perspective. In a classroom, one way to distinguish fiction from non is reality. Seal do not speak English. This narration is compounded by the attributions of human feelings, "When I was a month old, my mother left. She knew it was time for me to start growing up." The conversational, informative tone also detracts from imbibing the information as fact. While there are boxes containing additional facts, there are no labels, charts or other aids that would give the book a nonfiction appearance.
The positive aspects of the is the interesting language that helps the reader integrate into the world of the elephant seal, "It's dark and quiet down here in the deep water. I use my big eyes and good ears to hunt...Hear comes a squid. YUM!" As shown in the quote, the book also uses onomatopoeia frequently. The text also defines some vocabulary in a non-invasive manner. "The beach is where we were all born. It's called a rookery," and "In summer, I come here to molt. That's when all my fur rubs off."
After the text there is an illustration of an elephant seal and it is labeled. Why not place it in the front of the book in order to establish legitimacy and serve as a sort of prereading diagram. There are also fun facts and a small glossary consisting of four words. There are web links, one of which did not work. The others were sparse and aimed at adults. It is a discouraging trend to read a children's book that directs the reader to a non-specific site that can just as easily be found via Google. ( )