A Dolphin Named Bob
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This is Twig's first book for children ages seven to twelve. Published by HarperCollins in 1996, it is the story of a dolphin calf that was born at the Baltimore Aquarium. In telling about the joyful antics of "Bob," she is able to teach children about the social and biological aspects of dolphins as well as life at the Aquarium.
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Here's what Kirkus Reviews had to say:
Just the title of the book made me smile even before I cracked open the cover, and the 70 pages that followed fulfilled all of my expectations. A Dolphin Named Bob, written by Baltimore-area writer Twig George, does what any good children's book is supposed to do: it tells a story that is interesting and appealing to readers of all ages.
There is a bit of a trick to the title that reveals the depth of the book. Naming a dolphin Bob, one might suppose, is a way of anthropomorphizing a marine mammal and making it more attractive on human terms to young readers. But in fact it is an active verb – Bob got his name because of the way he bobbed in the pool when swimming in circles. And while Ms. George infuses Bob with many fascinating traits, and makes it possible for humans to peek inside the imagined inner life of dolphins, she also teaches us the science: how these amazing creatures live, swim, sleep, breathe, play, learn, and care for their young. We grow to like and care about Bob and his mother Aster as characters at the same time that we discover more about their species. But Ms. George does not pretend to be a know-it-all. She appreciates the mystery of nature--some things Bob and his mother Aster do are beyond the grasp of humans.
Why did Aster push Bob down to the bottom of the pool right after he was born? Why did Bob jump into the main performing pool one day and refuse to leave for weeks? Bob is not your average dolphin. He has his own way of doing things.
He represents the free spirit that persists anywhere, even in an aquarium, which is not surprising to anyone who knows the spirit of the person who created him, former CMC Education Director, Twig George.