Two polar explorers are out to solve a mystery: Where is their special seal, Patches? Scientists Roxanne Beltran and Patrick Robinson set off on a polar adventure, traveling to Antarctica to study the lives of Weddell seals. By finding Patches, a wily seal they’ve been tracking since its birth, they’ll be able to learn a lot about how much the seals get to eat and how many pups they raise. A Seal Named Patches takes young readers into the world at the very bottom of the globe, where they meet the extraordinary animals that live in cold, icy conditions. Through breathtaking photos and real-life stories, young readers will learn about how scientists do fieldwork, the challenges of researching animals in harsh climates, and even what it’s like to fly a helicopter over Antarctica. This engaging story will especially entertain and educate children in grades K-2 (ages 5–8.)

An introduction to seals, describing their habitat, behaviors, diet, and more.

Tells the true story of the unique human-animal friendship between Harry Goodridge and Andre, the harbor seal who was as comfortable in Goodridge’s home as he was in Penobscot Bay. Andre swims with Harry and rides happily in the back seat of Harry’s car. He quickly picked up tricks—perhaps the first time a wild animal has been trained in a free-release situation. He became Rockport, Maine’s honorary harbormaster and was ranked “second only to Andrew Wyeth as the state’s most acclaimed summer resident.” Year after year, Andre swam south in the winter, only to return again to Harry the next spring. It’s a timeless and iconic Maine story.

The solitary leopard seal is a fierce hunter and a graceful swimmer. It spends most of its time swimming in the frigid waters of Antarctica. How does it survive in this extreme environment? With the help of color photographs and fun facts, this accessible text explores how the leopard seal's life cycle, body structure, and behaviors have adapted to make it one of the most fearsome predators in one of the coldest places in the world. An engaging final activity encourages readers to use what they've learned to create an Antarctic food web.

Less than 100 years ago, the northern elephant seal was thought to be extinct. Today more than 250,000 elephant seals swim in the Pacific Ocean from Alaska to Mexico. In Return from Extinction: The Triumph of the Elephant Seal Linda L. Richards tells the story of their dramatic recovery. Elephant seals were hunted to near extinction for their precious oil before the Mexican government stepped in to protect them. Many people thought it was too late. Even though the life of the elephant seal is difficult and only 20 percent of pups born will make it to adulthood, the species adapted and came back from the brink. They are a true conservation success story.

Far, far south, in the strange and beautiful land of Antarctica, it is dark both day and night all winter long. When at last spring comes, the penguins and seals raise their young. But, one year, loud, unfamiliar sounds announce the arrival of a new presence—one the animals hope can share this fragile world with them in peace. Antarctica is a 1990 New York Times Book Review Notable Children's Book of the Year.

Recounts definitive moments from the author's career as a Navy SEAL, discussing the missions that had the greatest personal meaning for him and explaining the lessons and values he hopes to pass on to the next generation.

Chief Petty Officer James "Patches" Watson was there at the start. One of the first to come out of the famed Underwater Demolition Team 21, he was an initial member -- a "plank owner" -- of America's deadliest and most elite fighting force, the U.S. Navy SEALs. Through three tours in the jungle hell of Vietnam, he walked the point -- staying alert to trip wires, booby traps and punji pits, guiding his squad of amphibious fighters on missions of rescue, reconnaissance and demolition -- confronting a war's unique terrors head-on, unprotected . . . and unafraid. This is the story of a hero told from the heart and from the gut -- an authentic tour of duty with one of the most legendary commandoes of the Vietnam War.

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