Beachcombing: Exploring the Seashore [Hardcover]

Jim Arnosky (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 11, 2004 | Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up

Young sunbathers can learn all about the wonders at the water's edge with Jim Arnosky's fascinating guide. With friendly notes and detailed illustrations of everything from ghost crabs to shark teeth, this award-winning author and wildlife expert outfits kids with the knowledge they need to become avid beachcombers. Take it along on a family vacation or school trip, or make the beach come alive at home with this personal tour of the shore.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3–Arnosky, inspired by visits to 26 beaches along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts, invites readers to take long walks along the beach and highlights some of the interesting things that they might discover there. The cover and many of the interior spreads are designed to look like a hand-sewn journal. Protected by a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses, and sunblock and carrying a pail, a cartoon version of the author looks for crabs, coral, shark teeth, and other items. From the more commonplace (seashells) to the rare and captivating Sea Beans (the seeds of trees that grow along the Amazon), a variety of treasures are identified and described in the conversational text and pastel artwork. Youngsters are encouraged to examine gently and release any living creatures. Warnings against touching jellyfish are included; unfortunately, the spread about these animals is disappointingly vague and only the Portuguese Man-of-War is identified. Still, young beachcombers will discover old and new ideas about collecting or just identifying their finds, and the book will appeal to those children who are looking for relaxing fun.–Nancy Call, Santa Cruz Public Libraries, Aptos, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 2. Beachcombing offers a vicarious tour of the treasures found on a typical tropical beach. Arnosky directs his text straight to young people, offering advice on how to get started (sun protection) and how to identify the animals and plants they might see. On spreads that shimmer with aquamarine blues and shell pinks, he paints a variety of seashore animals, often in silhouette to emphasize shape differences between species. The text is casual and unscientific, but in a few places, it's so simple that it's confusing; one spread explains that palm trees grow from coconuts but doesn't mention that a coconut is a seed. The pictures are enticing, though, and Arnosky's enthusiastic, eco-conscious guide will delight young children. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Juvenile (May 11, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525471049
• ISBN-13: 978-0525471042
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,321,689 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Learning is Fun!, November 27, 2011

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Celeste (Long Island, NY) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Beachcombing: Exploring the Seashore (Hardcover)

I am a first grade teacher and have used this book (among others) to show what a non-fiction book looks like. I live where many of the animals featured in the book are. This makes it especially interesting to young kids since they can learn something about their own world. Arnosky is one of my favorite non-fiction writers for children and I've purchased this particular book for my daughter because she is fascinated by animals and ocean animals especially. The illustrations are very realistic and the color Arnosky use are just like the front cover. I like the one page with shells of different animals and another page devoted to the horsehoe crab. This book is a gem for those people living along the Eastern Coast.