Find out more about New Zealand's Endangered Dolphins

A beautifully illustrated nonfiction book on the worlds smallest and most endangered dolphins

Mid-May my second book was released into bookshops. This book is an illustrated nonfiction book about the New Zealand dolphins formerly known as the Maui and Hector's dolphins. Scientists now prefer to name species after their country or what they look like.

I cover subjects such as:

• How rare?
• How big?
• How are they the same and different?
• How clever?
• What senses?
• What habits?
• What's on the menu?
• What is their life cycle?
• How do mothers care for their calves?
• How do they play?
• What threatens them?
• How do sanctuaries protect them?
• What can we do to help?
   

I approach each subject with a question because I imagined a young person asking those questions and wanted to answer them directly. I fell in love with the dolphins even more after learning how caring they are to each other and other species, including humans. And I love how playful they are, even playing tag and pass the parcel seaweed along to each other. I knew kids would want to read how we're protecting these precious taonga and have included how sanctuaries are doing that job and what we can do to help them.

I always like to make a double page interesting by putting in extra graphics - this time it's a fact bubble. You'll learn fascinating titbits like: Did you know that the closest living relation to dolphins and whales today is the hippopotamus! And dolphins' brains are 15-60 times bigger than a shark that are a similar size! You'll find one of these bubble facts on every double page spread. I've also include a New Zealand map, a diagram showing the size of dolphins in New Zealand waters, and a dolphin showing its labelled body parts - all expertly drawn by Marco Ivancic.

I've teamed up with Marco again and he's created some stunning illustrations of the North and South Island New Zealand dolphins. This is my favourite one.

 

 

I also teamed up with Thorsten Bux from Tripod-digital to make an Augmented Reality site with extra information. You just need to scan the QR code below and it'll take you to a webpage and then you hold your camera over each page in the book and it'll show you videos, photographs, and extra information. Do push the link to see the dolphins looking at themselves in the mirror, they are ever-so cute. You'll also see a progression of one of Marco's illustrations.

 

                                                         

 

The book was expertly checked by New Zealand's leading dolphin expert Dr Elisabeth Slooten. I'd like to thank Dr Elisabeth Slooten for her fact checking, Genevieve Robinson from Canterbury Regional Council for her photographs, Thorsten Bux for making the wonderful AR component, Marco Ivancic for his gorgeous illustrations, and Duncan Perkinson from White Cloud Books/Upstart Press for making this book happen.

I talk about the book some more on my website here. You can find my educational resource here. Here's my book trailer:

Thanks to the following reviewers for their reviews.

Bob from Bobs Books Blog says, "Marco Ivancic’s diagrams, photographs, maps and illustrations enhance the excellent information and easy text of Maria Gill. An award winning non fiction book if I ever saw one." Read more here.

Adele from What Book Next says, "This is a perfect book for young dolphin lovers, school projects and the Children’s Non-Fiction section of all NZ libraries." Read more here.

You can purchase it direct from Upstart Press, find your local independent bookshop at Bookhub, at PaperPlus, or buy signed copies from my lovely local bookshop Matakana Village Books.

I hope you enjoy it!