The tragic effects of the Valdez oil spill on the creatures that inhabit Prince William Sound are embodied in one girl's efforts to save a baby seal drenched in oil. Denny and her mother take the pup, which she names Prince William, to the makeshift rescue center set up in the gym of a nearby school. A corps of volunteers revives the animal, but the veterinarian informs Denny that most are not so lucky: ``I've seen it happen before--bears and their cubs, wolverines and eagles. You name it, they're all being poisoned by the spill.'' Gloria Rand's (the Salty Dog books) descriptive text escapes heavy moralizing by focusing on the seal's progress and on the community's intensive volunteer activities. Though she avoids any mention of this event's political ramifications, a powerful message is adroitly conveyed without laying blame. Ted Rand ( Night Tree ; Barn Dance! ) paints a title character to melt the hearts of all; the oversize images in his vibrant paintings capture, as always, the sweep of the outdoors and the humanity of the spirit. Ages 6-8. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

After a huge oil spill in Prince William Sound, Denny finds a slimed baby seal on the beach and takes him to a vet. The seal is cleaned, nursed back to health, and elaborately taught to fend for himself in the wild; meanwhile, Denny witnesses volunteers working to wash beaches, contain the oil slick, and rescue wildlife. This book is completely issue-driven; the writer makes no effort to enliven the bland plot with dramatic tension or details of character. Meanwhile, the big illustrations' yank at the heartstrings seems calculated--after weeks of rehabilitation, the once pathetic seal pup is seen sleeping happily on a pillow, a fuzzy toy seal under his flipper. In an afterword, the author describes children joining the rescue effort after the Alaskan oil spill of '89; those brief paragraphs are a better motivator than the rest of this heavy-handed effort. (Picture book. 7-9)

In an environmental tale of a child who rescues a baby seal in Prince William Sound, balance is struck between the spill's tragedies and the seal's successful rehabilitation. An almost anthropomorphic seal mars the otherwise strong narrative power of the paintings. From HORN BOOK 1992, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Ages 5-8. Inspired by wildlife rescue work following the 1989 Alaskan oil spill, this picture book tells of Denny, a little girl who finds an oil-coated baby seal in Prince William Sound. Naming him Prince William, she takes the seal to the local rescue center and visits him until he's well enough to return to the wild. Rand's effective, large-scale paintings show the oil clean-up operations as well as the animal rescue center and the Alaskan landscape. With the dual appeal of an empathetic animal story and highly narrative artwork that ranges from dramatic to sentimental (both Prince William and Denny are occasionally afflicted with "Bambi eyes"), this picture book has possibilities as an Earth Day read-aloud selection. After all, given a choice between taking out the family recycling bin and saving a baby seal, what child wouldn't choose, vicariously, this loving path to conservation? ~--Carolyn Phelan

K-Gr 4-- After a tanker accident occurs near her home on Prince William Sound, Denny discovers an oil-covered, newborn seal on a polluted beach. The baby is rushed to a busy animal rescue center, where dedicated veterinarians and volunteers care for the wildlife affected by the disaster. The girl names the seal Prince William and follows his recovery over the next ten weeks. Progress is made on the beaches too, as cleanup efforts begin in earnest. Finally, Denny is present as the seal is flown to Halibut Cove and released into clean water. This straightforward story stresses the importance of community involvement, as volunteers work together to repair the damage done; one particulary effective spread shows the harbor crowded with boats and planes, all carrying people ``who had come to help clean up the spill.'' In a time when young people are encouraged to become environmentally active, Denny proves that one child can make a difference. Vibrant watercolors capture both the horror of the puddinglike oil and the beauty of the unscathed northern landscape, and readers are left with the image of a bright-eyed and trusting Prince William. Pair this with Terry Carr's Spill! The Story of the Exxon Valdez (Watts, 1991). --Joy Fleishhacker, formerly at School Library Journal (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.