590 Zoological Sciences
McKenna, Virginia. Back to the Blue: A True-Life Adventure Story. (Illus. by Ian Andrew; a Born Free Wildlife Book.) Brookfield, CT: Millbrook Press, 1997. 32pp. $21.40. 97-34229. ISBN 0-7613-0409-6. C.I.P.
JH, YA, GA ++
This is truly a real-life story beautifully illustrated and told. In fact, it really is two stories in one book. It is a story first of a captive dolphin who is released one day back to his natural habitat. And it is the story of the actual fight to release all captive dolphins performing in marine aquaria in England! Equally interesting is the telling of the first story from the perspective of the dolphin and his reactions to being returned to his natural home in the blue waters of the ocean. That story begins with Rocky, the lone surviving dolphin in Marineland aquarium. The plight of Rocky is even more grim because his lady friend of many years has died and now he is the lone dolphin in the aquarium. One day, Rocky sees a woman with sad eyes looking at him and wonders why she is staring at him. Rocky does not know that the woman wants to help him. Her name is Bev, and she vows to help Rocky return to his natural home. The story goes on to describe how Rocky is eventually rescued by Bev and returned to his natural home together with two other dolphins from other aquariums. The story has a happy ending, with Rocky and his two dolphin friends returning to their marine home free at last! The second story describes, with real-life photographs, the actual story of the people and organizations that worked together to secure the eventual freedom of Rocky and his two dolphin friends. It is a moving story of human efforts to return captive animals to their natural habitat. The story ends with the footnote that in the 1970s there were 30 dolphin shows around England. Today there are none! This is a book that truly should be read by old and young alike. It is depressing to see animals caged and deprived of their freedom. Happily, the dolphins are returned safely and successfully to their habitat through the concerted efforts of many caring individuals. This soft glimpse of the sadness and loneliness of wild animals trapped and caged for our amusement reveals that this form of entertainment is no longer an acceptable way of treating wild animals. People do care, and the book tells a very moving story.—Lowell J. Bethel, University of Texas, Austin, TX
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