From School Library Journal
Grade 1-4-A lovely, browsable introduction to some of the groupings of animals that live in the ocean. It employs a double-page format with a full-color photograph of one or more representatives facing a page of explanatory text and full-color drawings. The groupings describe key elements that clarify the relationships. For example, jellyfish, corals, and anemones are grouped together as "The Stingers." The casual language used throughout the narrative creates a sense of informality, e.g., "Some [squid]-can signal pals-." Unfortunately, there is no pronunciation help provided for many of the terms used. This is particularly frustrating in the jellyfish entry as Cnidaria sounds completely different from the way it looks. The photographs throughout are stunning and engaging, from the explosion of shades of yellow of the gold cup coral and the brilliant burgundy of the frilly Christmas-tree worms, to the in-your-face close-up of the hermit crab.
Frances E. Millhouser, Chantilly Regional Library, VA Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Ages 6-9. Marine biologist Earle's photo-essay
Dive! (1999) is a splendid, hands-on introduction to the new deep-sea frontier. Now, for slightly younger children, she describes a range of unusual "sea critters," from sponges and Christmas-tree worms to sea squirts and moray eels. Her style is lively, clear, and sometimes lyrical ("the many-armed sea lilies . . . lift their feathery arms to gather very small creatures that flow past in the surrounding sea."). She's informal without being cute. Only the overuse of exclamation points is jarring ("Water is magical!" "It's an ocean filled with life!"); the facts are dramatic enough. Henry's full-page, brilliantly colored photos are astonishing and exquisitely reproduced. Combined with the exciting words, they make children see a new world.
Hazel RochmanCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
