Ringed Seal

Ringed Seal, part of the “Animals Illustrated” series, is the perfect combination: a book about an Arctic animal by an author who lives in the Arctic, for curious young children everywhere. Author William Flaherty, a conservation officer who lives in Iqaluit, Nunavut, presents information about the food, habitat, physical characteristics, and family life of the ringed seal.

Ringed seal skin was traditionally used to make clothing, boots, tents, water buckets, packs for dogs, and many other things. Ringed seal clothing was worn throughout the year, but especially in summer and fall, as it was not as thick as caribou-skin clothing. (p 21)

Illustrator Sara Otterstätter has enriched the clear and concise text with detailed artwork that brings author Flaherty’s words to life. For example, young learners will clearly see the intelligence of the ringed seals as they check for predators before surfacing through their breathing holes.

In the wintertime, ringed seals will even send bubbles up to the surface before actually surfacing to breathe to see if a predator is waiting above. (p 19)

The text tells the story, and the illustrations colour in the details.

A nice bonus feature in Ringed Seal is the information telling readers where to find Inuktitut-language resources and pronunciation assistance.

Young readers looking for a book about an Arctic animal native to Northern Canada are sure to enjoy learning about ringed seals from the experts.