Dolphin Freedom

Dolphin

by Wayne Grover, Jim Fowler (Illustrator)

Will poachers put an end to the dolphins' peaceful life?

In the years since diver Wayne Grover saved Baby's life, the young dolphin is never far away. Wayne and his diving colleagues have befriended Baby's lively dolphin pod and named each one. But their peaceful life is in danger. Baby's father is found bleeding from a gaff would. Soon Wayne realizes that poachers have come to prey on Baby and his family. Can Wayne do anything to save Baby and stop the poachers from netting wild dolphins.

Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Animals, Chapter Books

112 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 1999

Reviews

[Ebookwormy1 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book #2 after Dolphin Adventure, this book continues a diver's adventures with a dolphin off the coast of Florida. Some events also take place in the Bahamas.

I wish I could give this 3.5 stars. The story centers around a confrontation with dolphin poachers after the beloved Baby is kidnapped; some scenes were rather intense.

Perhaps more problematic are the few sentences in which the author criticizes the amusement parks that 'hold dolphins captive' for 'shows.' In this book, the author states he is not talking about SeaWorld or the Zoo system that works to rehabilitate animals that couldn't survive in the wild, but his ire is against parks that don't provide adequate care for the dolphins (re: size of tank, clean water, appealing food, and familial relationships dolphins are accustomed to), and that purchase the animals via the poaching system. However, these topics, while brief are WAY beyond children to whom such a simple story appeals, and could even cause confusion in children who love to see the dolphins at the zoo as to whether or not they should enjoy the experience. Once I had identified the problem, I just skipped those sentences whenever they came up.

Still worth the read. 3.5 stars.

There's more!
Dolphin Treasure, Grover, 1996
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

[Zaid · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will rate it 4stars
The captivating book "Dolphin Freedom" by Wayne Grover explores the intriguing world of dolphins and their inextricable bond with humans. The book digs into the complexity of these sentient beings, illuminating their unique social structures, communication abilities, and interactions with the environment.

Grover's writing style seamlessly carries readers into the aquatic world and gives them the impression that they are swimming next to these magnificent creatures. His love for marine life is clear in every sentence, and he makes a strong argument for the need to protect their natural habitats.

The author illustrates the emotional complexity and cognitive capabilities of dolphins through colorful anecdotes and empirical studies, leaving readers with a deep respect for these animals.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

My boys enjoy these three books about Wayne Grover’s adventures with dolphins off the coast of Florida. I have lost count of the number of times I have read them.

Each book contains elements of adventure and danger, and a problem to be solved. Dolphin Freedom is the most action packed with a bar and fight scene. Alcohol is consumed by adults. I thought it was pretty mild, but I was reading it out loud and could explain the scene. This one may not be best for the youngest readers without guidance. All of the books aim to educate parents and children to care for and respect marine life.

The first book, Dolphin Adventure, is labeled as a true story though it isn’t clear how much of it is fact vs. fiction. The other two books do not indicate they are true, and all three are classified as #juvenileliterature

At any rate, they are great reads and I heartily recommend them.

EDIT: Great question over on Instagram. There are no dolphin deaths in these books.

[Cindy Phillips · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was so confused by this book. I agree with a fellow reviewer- it was written for a young early reader (1-3 grades) audience but has some more mature content. There’s alcohol, detailed fight scenes, peril, guns, violence, poaching, and animal abuse. My sensitive 4th grader struggled with this book. Another thing… is this even a true story? If it is, the content doesn’t seem as big of an issue to me. True stories are not always super clean content wise. But I never found anything indicating that this was based on a true story. The first book, Dolphin Adventure, does say on the cover that it’s a true story. My daughter loved that book which is why we sought this one out. She could hardly finish it and likely won’t read the last book in the series. As it is, I would probably not recommend this book for early readers due to the content. Definitely not for sensitive or new readers.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This exciting, fast-paced adventure has Wayne Grover and two buddies heading to the Bahamas to release captured dolphins. The dolphin dealers capture them, put them in small pens, and sell them to fly-by-night aquariums in Mexico. There is little in the way of character development as this is a plot-driven novel for young readers. Pretty much good guys vs the bad guys. But young readers will be rooting for the good guys as they make plans to rescue their dolphin friends.

[Jason Anthony · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m the last one to warn people about books but FYI this book is DARK. The poachers kill dolphins, try to kill others, and there’s a drunken gun fight. It’s written and advertised for young kids, but it’s definitely for older elementary.

[Johnny Bennett · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an odd book. The writing style is tending to an early elementary age but some of the content is targeting more of an early middle reader.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

We read all three books in this series very quickly over the summer and early fall. My son wanted to read each more. I would say that Wayne Grover is a good storyteller, but not a great writer.

[Haven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, done Wayne. Well done.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

We recently read Dolphin Adventure: A True Story by Wayne Grover and I realized when I posted my review here that there were two follow-on tales. We borrowed both from the library and were eager to read them. I was a bit confused because the first tale is a true story and the other two are fictional, "based on the author's many diving experiences."

The story is even more ramatic than the first two books and really dives into dangerous territory and shady characters. It's a bit preachy, too. The plot is exciting, but I prefered the first two books. Still, we enjoyed reading this book together.

[Leta · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a man's story of his adventure to save a family of dolphins that have been captured and are in a holding tank to be sold to water amusement parks. It was intense at times and a bit of a thriller. Isaac enjoyed it.

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really good book! I enjoyed how it was true events and how it was events the author went through. I was glad the ending turned out happy!

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

We finally finished the series! This third book was good, but had some harder themes for my 5 year old (dolphin poachers in the seemingly lawless Bahamas).

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love it and it was good

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

a very good book giving a sense of friendship and love.

[Hillvan]

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