| I love the salty blue ocean, books about the animals that call it home, and cut paper collage as an illustration choice. This book has the reasons why I am a fan of all those things. The illustrations are playful yet informative, and full of interesting details (like a glipse of a shipwreck in the background behind a colossal squid) and authentic features (the spiky puffs of a blowfish in danger). I even appreciate how the font appears to be cut paper block letters. It just felt like the perfect highlight on a new haircut. The organization of leading with a question, offers the listener an opportunity to infer, predict, and interact with the text and illustrations in an engaged and active manner. The big round eyed seahorse is so beautiful and the fact shared about this small fish not being a strong swimmer and how to has to prevent being swept away by ocean currents, pulled empathy from my heart. This book weaves in some powerful vocabulary that is supported or defined by the context; words like, predators, sieve, venom, and currents. A sweet informational text that would serve as a writing mentor text, an example of cut paper illustrations, and the perfect science read aloud. |
