Winter's Tail: How One Little Dolphin Learned to Swim Again by Juliana Hatkoff, Isabella Hatkoff, and Craig Hatkoff

Heart-Warming. Resilience. Tears of Joy. 
Beautifully-told. Brave.

Winter's Tail: How One Little Dolphin Learned to Swim Again
Written by Juliana Hatkoff, Isabella Hatkoff, and Craig Hatkoff.

Published by Scholastic, Inc. 2009.

From Booklist
Hatkoff and his daughters continue their nonfiction series (Owen & Mzee, 2006; Knut, 2007) highlighting animals that overcome adversity. Here they follow a baby Atlantic bottle-nosed dolphin that lost her tail after becoming entangled in a crab trap. Rescued by Florida wildlife conservationists, she was nursed back to health and later fitted with an artificial tail. The main narrative is informal and conversational, well suited to a younger audience. Readers learn about Winter’s improvised, tail-free swimming techniques and how trainers helped her to adjust to the new device. An afterword provides further information about the Clearwater Marine Aquarium (where Winter lives), dolphins and their training, and Kevin Carroll, whose company developed the prosthetic tail. Most of the photographs are crisp and clear, depicting Winter’s dramatic rescue and several training routines. Designed for a dual audience (animal lovers and humans who have overcome physical adversity), this will make an inspirational choice for browsers. For another look at dolphins in captivity, point readers to Twig C. George’s A Dolphin Named Bob (1996). Grades 1-3. --Kay Weisman

“Readers will be most drawn to Winter's resilience and the dedication and ingenuity of those helping her.” – Publishers Weekly

“The story offers an important message of hope, friendship and universal acceptance.” – Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Awarded the Junior Library Guild Selection, 2009

Told by Juliana Hatkoff, Isabella Hatkoff, and Craig Hatkoff, this true story of a precious and enthusiastic dolphin, later named Winter, has brought warmth, tears of joy, and strength to all families throughout the nation. Winter's story has impacted many families and how they look at life. When they see this triumphant dolphin fight to live every moment and adapt to different situations, they believe that they are resilient and courageous like Winter as well.

Set during a cold, winter Saturday morning in December of 2005, Jim Savage, a fishermen at Mosquito Lagoon located in the east coast of Florida, saw something that did not seem right in the water. What he saw was a baby dolphin that was being suffocated in crab traps, destroying the the poor baby dolphin's mouth and tail. Shocked by this endangerment, Savage cuts the baby dolphin free and immediately calls Florida's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to rescue and protect this baby dolphin's life. Later named Winter, she is brought to her new home at Clearwater Marine Aquarium where a professionally trained staff would do all they can to help Winter because her tail had been severely injured by crab nets and unfortunately lost her tail which prevents her to swim properly. However, there is still hope of giving Winter the life that she originally would wanted. With the advancement of technology and her huge support group, she is able to swim everyday with her new, amazing tail.

Extras: Readers will be able to follow Winter's journey, from the fascinating photographs that are depicted through the novel, from the day Jim Savage found her in Mosquito Lagoon to her new home at Clearwater Marine Aquarium where she has the ability to swim again with her brand new tail. Readers will also be able to read an author's note that describes where they have received their photographs and how thankful they are to be able to have these visuals throughout the novel to share Winter's story. The book also includes a brief letter from the author's of the story describing other amazing true events where many animals such as a baby polar bear named Knut and a baby mountain gorilla named Miza, who are being rescued and protected by a group of caring and loving people, and a brief summary of Winter's adventure. Toward the end of the book, there are brief descriptions and visuals of Winter's rescue location to her new home, information about the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, the different types of dolphins, how one trains dolphins, and Kevin Carroll and Hanger Prosthetics & Orthotics, the group of creators that helped develop Winter's prosthetic tail, which allows her to swim and to prevent spinal injuries.

Literary Genre: Nonfiction, Health

Reading Level: Lexile Framework 930L, Grade 5/6

Suggested Delivery: Read Aloud or Independent Read
ISBN-13: 978-0545123358

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Teachers... Here are some resources to help 

you teach Winter's Tail: How One Little Dolphin Learned to Swim Again!

Electronic Resources:

Winter's Tail Official Website - This link is an interactive website for students especially as a way to set a purpose for reading. Teachers can have students view this link before reading also as a way to increase their prior knowledge. The wonderful link includes an incredible amount of information about Winter the dolphin, such as Winter in the media, pictures, fun games and activities, videos, sing-a-long, make a video, interesting facts about dolphins, and links to other animals that were endangered and/or rescued!

Scholastic: Meet Winter the Dolphin - This link is also another interactive website for students and teachers. It provides a short webcast that highlights the movie Winter's Tail. Not only does it include fun student activities and resources, but it also provides teachers different types of lesson plans and printables, links to other rescued animals, videos, information about marine biology, and many more. Great for students and teachers to view before and during reading, as a way to set a purpose for reading and to increase student's prior knowledge.

Hanger, Inc. Prosthetics - Hanger, Inc. Prosthetics plays an important role in Winter's life as it gives her hope to swim again. Kevin Carroll, who works for this company, was heavily involved in designing Winter's new tail and the engineering of this tail has created wonders and more to come with this type of technology. This website is great for students and teachers to observe together as it is a discussed concept in the story. Students and teachers are able to read success stories of people who are able to have their life again because of this important invention. Great to view before, during, or after reading.

Youtube: Winter's Tail - Watch a short video of Winter doing tricks and her swimming in the water with her new tail. Also, Winter's trainer talks about how they place and what they must do before they put her tail on: the proper procedure. Great to use after reading so that students are able to visually see who Winter is and see how she swims with her new tail.

Kids Zone: See Winter - This link is another great resource for students to view if they would like to know more about Winter the dolphin. The website is directly for students and it provides games, coloring pages, environmental tips, student resources, information about careers in marine science, Winter's FAQ, how to visit or meet Winter and many more. Great for students to review before, during, or after reading.

Basic Facts about Dolphins - This link provides basic facts about dolphins and how they live throughout their daily lives. Provides information about the different types of dolphins, behaviors, size, diet, where dolphins are predominately located, and many more. Great way to introduce to students what they will be reading about.

Key Vocabulary: thrive, idled, coraralled, ordeal, fleshy, stump, coaxes, handlers, unfazed, companion, protheses, peduncle, silicone, resilience

Teaching Suggestions:

1. Use this text in Science to develop an understanding about marine biology and what a marine biologist does.
• Use this text in Science to teach about the oceanic ecosystem and the different types of mammals that live in the ocean.
2. Use this text in Environmental Science to educate about the environmental issues that occur in the ocean, who causes these issues, and how one may advocate safe environmental practices.
• Use this text to build communication and reading and language arts skills by debating environmental issues.
3. Use this text in Mathematics to measure the distance from Winter's rescue area, Mosquito Lagoon to her new home in Clearwater Marine Aquarium.
4. Use this text in Geography to explore the different marks under the sea, i.e. mountains, sea level, canyons.

Comprehension Strategies:

• Before Reading: 

• A great way to initiate and to set a purpose for reading is to introduce to students what a disability is. Ask students what they believe the word disability means and to write their descriptions/answers on the board. Discuss with students that there are many types of disabilities and that they will be reading about a dolphin who has a disability. After the discussion, continue with this mini-acitivity, which is to have students choose from a bowl. In the bowl, teachers will write down different types of disabilities, such as vision impaired, hearing impaired, etc. If students do not know the disability that they have on their piece of paper, explain to them what it means. After each student chooses, have students do an activity while they have the disability. Do the activity for approximately 15 minutes. After the activity, discuss with students how they felt when they had this challenge given to them. How did they feel after completing the activity? How do other people who actually have these types of disabilities feel? Have students make text-to-self connections to see if they have any experiences of people, such as their friends or family who have disabilities, not only limited to physical, but also social and emotional. Although this topic may be sensitive to students who may have disabilities, it is still a great way for students to discuss and to be aware of this topic as it is part of life. Also, it allows students to use their prior knowledge and to be more interested in the reading.
• For example, one can relate this topic to the Special Olympics, Paralympics, prosthetic technology, War veterans, etc.
• During Reading: 
• Provide students a set of discussion questions that will evaluate their comprehension after they read. These questions will promote student to use text-to-self connections, their schema, or their literal comprehension to develop an comprehensible answer for these questions. If you choose to read this story aloud, pause and ask these questions to students. 
• Some examples of these questions include:
• What caused Winter to lose her tail?
• After Winter's settled in her new home at Clearwater Marine Aquarium, what was her swimming style? How did this impact her performance in swimming? Did it improve or impair her?
• How do normal dolphin's swim and why?
• Why was Panama not willing to befriend Winter at first?
• In your opinion, do you think Winter will ever be able to swim out in the ocean again?
• How do you think Winter's struggle and challenges relate to families who also deal with conflicts every day? How has Winter improvement and strength influence these families?
• After Reading: 
• Have students watch the movie Dolphin Tale, which stars Winter's journey. After they finish the movie, have students compare and contrasts the events from the movie to the events in the story. Are the events in the movie different from the events in the book or are they similar? Was the main idea of the movie same as the main idea in the story? Was the sequence the same? How true was the movie to the book? Have students use a Venn Diagram or a T-chart to complete this activity.

Student Writing Activity:

• Prosthetic technology is advancing every moment and giving people their lives back. People who unfortunately receive amputations possibly are able to walk, move, and run again because of prosthetic technology. In Winter's situation, the generation of prosthetic technology moved from humans to animals, which is significant. Kevin Carroll, the creator of Winter's tail, was able to figure out how to make a tail that would allow Winter to swim normally like other Dolphin's without preventing any discomfort or injury. Have students write a letter to Kevin Carroll asking him what he will do next or what he will create for possibly other circumstances. How does this technology affect the future? What or who inspired him to build such a creation that may have been difficult to produce? Ask students if they would thank him for creating such a product that has helped a fellow friend have life again.
• The reason why Winter's tail was unfortunately damaged was because of crab nets that suffocated her. Discuss with other students that there are also devastating pollution that affects the aquatic lifestyle, i.e. soda cans plastic that are left in the ocean and oil spills. Have students research the material and how they could prevent such disasters or pollutions from occurring. Then have students write an expository letter persuading to the community, to their friends, or to the Wildlife Conservation Commission why it is important to put more support in rescuing and protecting mammals that are endangered and to advocate methods to decrease pollution in animals habitats. Possibly ask students what they would do in their own daily life to decrease some sort of pollution, i.e. recycling, reusing, or reducing items that they use. Have students write this portion in a student journal.

Hatkoff, J., Hatkoff, I., & Hatkoff, C. (2009). Winter's tail: how one little dolphin learned to swim again. New York: Scholastic, Inc.