BOOK 



the various shoreline environments: 

 the rocky intertidal, salt marsh and 

 sandy beach. Lawlor, an associate 

 professor of science education at 

 Hunter College, New York City, 

 suggests a basic kit of tools for 

 investigating life along the shore and 

 then plunges you into the fascinating 

 secret lives of common marine plants 

 and animals. 



Her clear prose guides you 

 through simple experiments and 

 observations that focus on everything 

 from barnacles and seaweed to fish 

 and periwinkles, from sea stars and 

 shorebirds to dunes and tides. She 

 uncovers the ancient history of the 

 horseshoe crab and follows the 

 aggressive, fastidious fiddler crab 

 through its cycles of hibernation, 

 mating, resting and feeding. 



Each chapter opens with an 

 overview of a particular plant or 

 animal and its habitat. The "Observa- 

 tions" section provides suggestions 

 for studying the target 

 organism and lists questions 

 to focus on when taking 

 notes. In "Explorations," 

 Lawlor describes simple 

 experiments that reveal even 

 more about the habitats and the 

 creatures who live there. 



In the chapter on mud 

 worms, Lawlor begins by 

 illustrating marine worms' 

 importance in the food chain. She 

 goes on to describe several different 

 species of common mud worms, 

 including the paddle worm, parch- 

 ment worm and blood worm. 



The author asks you to dig up 

 worms, examine them swimming and 

 digging, and to search for eyes and 

 "teeth." The "exploration" involves 

 taking a worm's pulse. 



This is a well-organized, informa- 

 tive book. Lawlor provides both 

 common and scientific names for all 



H SEASON 1999 



