Hatkoff and his daughters continue their nonfiction series (Owen & Mzee, 2006; Knut, 2007) highlighting animals that overcome adversity. Here they follow a baby Atlantic bottle-nosed dolphin that lost her tail after becoming entangled in a crab trap. Rescued by Florida wildlife conservationists, she was nursed back to health and later fitted with an artificial tail. The main narrative is informal and conversational, well suited to a younger audience. Readers learn about Winter's improvised, tail-free swimming techniques and how trainers helped her to adjust to the new device. An afterword provides further information about the Clearwater Marine Aquarium (where Winter lives), dolphins and their training, and Kevin Carroll, whose company developed the prosthetic tail. Most of the photographs are crisp and clear, depicting Winter's dramatic rescue and several training routines. Designed for a dual audience (animal lovers and humans who have overcome physical adversity), this will make an inspirational choice for browsers. For another look at dolphins in captivity, point readers to Twig C. George's A Dolphin Named Bob (1996).

The authors of Owen & Mzee, Knut, and Looking for Miza explore the rescue and rehabilitation of a young Atlantic bottlenose dolphin. After Winter loses her tail to a crab trap, numerous individuals (including a prosthetics designer who fashions an artificial tail) and institutions help her return to full mobility. Clear photographs and factual end matter enhance the clearly written text.

Gr 4-6 A compassionate look at the true odyssey of an orphaned Atlantic bottlenose dolphin. Rescued from a crab trap, with severe injuries, "Winter" was brought to the Clearwater (FL) Marine Aquarium and, despite the heroic efforts of the staff, lost her tail. Trying to swim "fish-style," Winter caught the attention of a prosthetic engineer, and the Hatkoffs' clear text follows the efforts of a mixed team from the aquarium and Hanger Prosthetics & Orthotics to design a workable "tail" to keep her healthy. Full-color photos reveal the cooperative efforts of the human team and Winter in this journey toward a more normal life (some of their work has produced benefits for human amputees). Fans of the Hatkoffs' "Owen & Mzee" titles (Scholastic), or of Carol Buckley's Tarra and Bella (Putnam, 2009) will gobble up this empathy-raising tale of the little dolphin that could. A long section describing the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, dolphin data and the way dolphins in captivity are trained, and the work of Kevin Carroll and Hanger Prosthetics & Orthotics are appended to satisfy the questions of curious readers. Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY

The authors of <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Owen & Mzee and <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Knut offer a moving though less compelling chronicle of another creature in need: a bottlenose dolphin that became tangled in a crab trap off the Florida coast. After Winter was rescued and taken to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, her injured tail fell off and she learned to swim by propelling her body with a side-to-side motion. Concerned that this improvised movement would damage her backbone, her caregivers welcomed a prosthesis-creator's offer to fashion a device that mimics the motion of a dolphin tail, enabling Winter to swim normally. The chatty text, sophisticated for kids on the younger end of the age range, is accompanied by photos of varying quality. Low-res initial shots of Winter's ordeal are pixellated (“the mere fact that they were recorded at all gives us a valuable insight into the drama of this extraordinary event” reads a note); the great majority of images, however, are bright, focused and well framed. Readers will be most drawn to Winter's resilience and the dedication and ingenuity of those helping her. Ages 4–8. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Oct.)