An orphaned sea lion is found and raised at The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, California. Astro is a stellar Steller sea lion! Only a few days old when found orphaned, he is cared for and raised at The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, California. When big enough to be released to the wild where he needs to be, he has other plans! Just like a lost dog finding his way home, Astro keeps swimming back towards the Center, crossing miles of open ocean water to do so. After several attempts, people realize that Astro is too accustomed to humans and will just keep coming back. Based on real events, readers follow Astro through some of his travels that have now taken him across the U.S. to his current home at the Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut. A touching, informative introduction to the species. --Booklist Adults will cheer at the “For Creative Minds” section, replete with activities, maps, further data, and advice on linking with a website for more curriculum-oriented exploration. --School Library Journal Although the text is simple enough for beginning readers, students in any grade can appreciate the story. This is a book for all school and public libraries. --Library Media Connection Jeanne Walker Harvey is the author of several award-winning books, including Astro: The Steller Sea Lion and My Hands Sing the Blues: Romare Bearden's Childhood Journey. She's been a language arts teacher and currently gives school tours at a local museum. Jeanne lives near the Golden Gate Bridge in California and walks by the bay every day looking for sea lions. She writes with her gray tabby cat sitting on the desk next to her. Shennen Bersani is an award-winning illustrator with 2 million copies of her books cherished and read by children, parents, and teachers throughout the world. Her art delivers heartfelt emotion, the wonders of nature and science, and creates a unique joy for learning. Some of Shennen's other illustrated works include A Case of Sense, Animal Partners; Sea Slime: It’s Eeuwy, Gooey and Under the Sea; Shark Baby; Home in the Cave; Astro: The Steller Sea Lion; The Glaciers are Melting!, and Once Upon an Elephant, for Arbordale. She is also the author and illustrator of Achoo! Why Pollen Counts. Shennen lives near Boston.