Have you ever wondered what sea creatures do in a storm? This gives a glimpse into what coastal animals do. They hide in seal gardens (areas of rocks, kelp, etc. that larger animals can't enter). The book was very interesting to me and is well written for elementary school readers. However, it would have been even better if a map of where the Great Bear Sea is located was included. I had no idea where this was and had to Google it to find out.

The Seal Garden by Ian McAllister is a wonderful non-fiction, nature book with gorgeous photographs taken by the author. This is the third book in the "My Great Bear Rainforest" series. The book tells us about a storm and how the animals in the rainforest take shelter. It then introduces the reader to the Seal Garden. It is a special area of underwater vegetation in the Great Bear Sea off the coast of British Columbia, Canada, where seals and other animals can go to be safe from storms and predators. It tells how the seal garden protects marine animals from the storm as well as from predators. When a pod of orcas appear, the seals take protection in the kelp until the orcas give up and leave. We learn about other animals that also live in the Seal Garden. The pictures of the garden are beautiful and the seals look so playful. The book would be a great introduction to underwater life, ecosystems as well as for anyone who likes animals and wants to learn more about the ones in the Pacific Northwest. Great for primary students and classes. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Netgalley.

McAllister and Read’s The Seal Garden is a beautiful nonfiction book geared towards young readers, stuffed with gorgeous photos and fun facts. Ever wonder where marine creatures go to seek safety in storms, or against much bigger predators? They go to a 'seal garden’! How cool is that? These are kelp forests where large predators like orca cannot go, and where the seals and other small creatures can be safe from massive storm swells. These pictures are beyond beautiful. You can really tell the photographer loves his work. My cubs and I loved learning about the critters that call seal gardens home, and look forward to more in this series!

Read my review for A Bear’s Life.
https://wp.me/p6C2DX-1oA

***Many thanks to Netgalley and Orca Book Publishers for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

These pictures are beautiful!!! I want more! Seals are such amazing animals and I’d love to see a seal garden in person after seeing this book.

This is like reading the narration from a Nat Geo kids tv special. That's a good thing. It is told in story form, but is all about the animals that are protected from predators and storms in the seal garden. The pictures in this book are amazing! They could win awards.

The Harbor seal on the cover of The Seal Garden made me reach for this book - who doesn't think seals are adorable? The photographs on the pages following are a visual feast for the reader's eyes. Younger children will enjoy the photographs and older readers will enjoy learning new facts independently. This would be a fun book to keep on the shelf in my classroom - it is recommended for students ages 5 to 8 and I agree but would add parents of preK 4s students might enjoy reading it as well. Thanks to #NetGalley for allowing me the opportunity to preview #TheSealGarden by #IanMcAllister

This is the second of the My Great Bear Rainforest series that I’ve read. Having previously fallen in love with A Bear’s Life I looked forward to reading The Seal Garden. Once again Ian McAllister’s photography is gorgeous! I noted (and appreciated) in the fine print at the beginning of the book that there has been no digital manipulation of the images.

Although this book is nonfiction the conversational tone and story about a storm and what the animals do to protect themselves during it pull the reader in. I liked the link between this book and A Bear’s Life, where we’re told how the animals of the forest will be taking cover during the storm before the seal garden is introduced. The story of the protection that the seal garden provides seals and other smaller animals from predators such as orcas gives readers an interesting overview into the lives of these beautiful mammals.

This book is for readers from 5 to 8 years and both the writing style and content are appropriate for this age group. When the orcas came on the scene I was personally dreading a scene out of a David Attenborough documentary (you know the type I’m referring to) but am pleased to report that no seals are harmed in the narrative or photographs in this book. Phew! 😅

In some photos you get the impression that the seals know all about cameras and are hamming it up for the photographer. In others I just about melted as I gazed into their huge, dark eyes. 😍 I don’t have a favourite photo of the seals because they’re just so darn loveable.

I do, however, have a favourite orca photo. It shows two orcas, one with its head above water. The composition and lighting are perfect. The movement of the orcas is evident through the ripples in the water and the fine spray in the air above them. It’s a truly stunning photo.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Orca Book Publishers for the opportunity to read this book.

Where do seals and other small marine mammals go when a storm stirs up the sea? A seal garden!

Illustrated with absolutely beautiful photographs of seals in their gardens, the reader is taken through a day in the life of seals taking refuge in their gardens of kelp when a storm kicks up over the coast and how they wait out a pod of orcas who come too close for comfort.

Really I don’t have much else to say about this one aside from the fact that it was truly informative (I had never really known about these kelp gardens before) and the pictures are gorgeous. Definitely recommended!

This is a lovely book. I liked the images and it was a nice and easy read.
I liked the information about the different species of animal that live in the Seal Garden - and it isn't just Seals! 4 stars from me - one I would look to get for my daughter to keep.

This is a book about seals living in the Great Bear Sea, and how they seek refuge in seal gardens during storms. Besides being educational, the book has stunning underwater photographs of the seals. I think children would enjoy this book, I know I certainly did!

The photography in The Seal Garden is stunning. I love it when books use photographs of familiar creatures to introduce us to very specific places. This book covers "the seal garden," a special area of underwater vegetation in the Great Bear Sea off the coast of British Columbia, Canada, where seals and other animals can go to be safe from storms and predators.

There are some really lovely shots here, of seals swimming around under and above the water. My favorites were the pictures of shafts of light spreading through the water and plants. You get the feeling that this book was created by people who genuinely know and love the area, and is not just another "general nature information" project.

The text focuses on describing some of the animals that live in this environment and some of the things they may experience on a daily basis -- sheltering from a storm or a group of hunting orcas, eating fish, lounging on rocks, etc.

My only complaint is that I didn't see that the book ever actually tells us where the Great Bear Sea is, other than mentioning the Pacific Ocean. Since I'm not from the Pacific Northwest, the name was unfamiliar to me, so it's unfortunate that I had to resort to Google to figure out exactly where this place is located -- even a simple map would have been very helpful.

(Thanks to NetGalley for the review copy.)