School Library Journal Review

Gr 5 Up-This three-DVD set features six of the seven Great Migrations episodes that aired on the National Geographic channel in 2010. Disc 1 offers two episodes: "Born to Move," featuring the migratory behavior of wildebeests, sperm whales, monarch butterflies, and the red crab; and "Need to Breed," with flying foxes, kob antelope, army ants, and the albatross, penguins, and elephant seals of the Falkland Islands. Disc 2 contains "Race to Survive," which focuses on the seasonal migrations of zebra, walrus, pronghorn sheep, whale sharks, and a variety of primates that travel to a fig tree in Borneo. "Feast or Famine" follows different species of birds, great white sharks, elephant seals, desert dwelling elephants, and a singular species of jellyfish in their search for sustenance. Both of these visually stunning discs showcase the variety of animals that must move vast distances and overcome deadly obstacles in order to survive as a species, and provide a general understanding of some of the reasons behind migratory behavior. However, the narration, with its overall poetic quality and attempts at profundity, is noticeably lacking in informative content. The third disc may be of more practical use to educators, with "Science of Migrations" demonstrating some of the ingenious ways scientists have solved the problem of tracking certain species, and "Behind the Scenes" of the cameramen's often dangerous quests for the spectacular footage that comprises this award-winning series. A must for public libraries with definite potential for use in the classroom.-Cary Frostick, formerly at Mary Riley Styles Public Library, Falls Church, VA (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.