I have reviewed several books in Houghton Mifflin's Scientists in the Field series, which introduces younger readers to the scientific process in a variety of disciplines. I recently found a cache of unread, unreviewed books in the series, and I tackled this one -- The Manatee Scientists: Saving Vulnerable Species by Peter Lourie -- first because I was about to leave for a trip to Sarasota, Florida, and I had high hopes of seeing a manatee while I was there.

Coincidentally enough, the book features a scientist at the Mote Marine Laboratory, which was high on our list of places to visit, and included photos of a resident manatee named Buffett. Although the book was published 13 years ago, I'm happy to say that Buffett is alive and well (although his brother Hugh, also featured in the book, died last year), and we got to see him eating lettuce on a rainy day in Sarasota.

I didn't finish the book until after my return home (I chose not to take the bulky hardback along on the plane), but I learned a lot about these peaceful, buoyant sirenians who are found in only three places in the world: the West Indies (including Florida and the Gulf of Mexico, several Caribbean islands and the coast of Brazil), the Amazon River basin and coastal West Africa.

While the book contains a fair amount of information about manatees, it's important to remember that it's not about them. Lourie's book focuses on several scientists who study them and work to ensure their preservation in a shrinking world. Readers will learn about the scientific method, including tracking, direct observation, interviews with local fishermen and hunters, and other means of study. The book is also nicely illustrated with Lourie's photographs.