When a pod of dolphins become stranded on a beach in this work of picture-book natural history, local humans come to their aid, keeping them wet and hydrated, transferring them to a lagoon where they can safely recover, and eventually returning them to the ocean...

Jim Arnosky seems to specialize in beautifully-illustrated picture-books about animals and the natural world, titles with simple text and striking artwork that can be read to younger children. Dolphins in the Sand is an example of this, pairing a short and straightforward story - a few sentences per two-page spread - with colorful illustrations created using deeply layered acrylic paint. The author's brief afterword mentions a real life dolphin rescue that he witnessed, which inspired the book. This was a lovely book, and one well-suited to its purpose. Recommended to very young dolphin and animal lovers, and to admirers of Arnosky's artwork. ( )

Based on a true-life dolphin rescue that Jim Arnosky (the author) witnessed, Dolphins in the Sand tells a story of a pod of dolphins beached on a patch of sand during low tide. As the dolphins become weaker and weaker because they are sitting out in the sun for so long with no way to get back in the water, a group of humans spot them and come to the rescue. This story is also a story of a mother and a son, who stay with each other until both are able to swim back to sea. ( )

I picked this book because of the dolphins and the illustrations. For this book, I would have students write why it is important to save animals. ( )