The Open Ocean, by Francesco Pittau and Bernadette Gervais

Topics – ocean, invertebrates, adaptations

My daughter came across this oversized picture book at the library. Expecting a fact-packed, detail-filled book, I was pleasantly surprised to see how playfully it was put together and how beautifully too. It is basically a giant lift-the-flap book where quirky information about animals such as jellyfish and urchins hides behind gorgeous illustrations. In The Open Ocean, as in Pittau and Gervais’ other books in this series, Out of Sight and Birds of a Feather, the reader gets a rich sensory experience through choosing which flaps to look under and what pace to take in the information. The details of the animals featured here are intriguing to young readers but also specific enough for older ones. I love the end section where you can match up different parts of fish to see how various heads and tails align. This is a book I’d love to own to come back to its useful information as well as to experience it at different age levels.

Suggested Ages – I would recommend this book to anyone of any age, really. It is so fun to flip open the panels and see what you discover underneath. The facts are fairly detailed, but can be pared down by a reading parent if necessary for younger children.

 

The Blobfish Book – A Book All About Me, by Jessica Olien

Topics – sea, marine, invertebrates

Summary – The Blobfish is the star of this book, a clever combination of photographs and cartoons, which teaches us about this strange but loveable deep sea creature. In The Blobfish Book, Jessica Olien takes us on a journey to the deep sea, starting with an introduction of the zones of the ocean and continuing with unique facts about the bizarre animals found there. The blobfish provides silly commentary that is a great counterpoint to the informational text. Even within that text, Olien packs in great facts without being too detailed, focusing on a single feature of each creature. I really love this technique of the animal providing commentary, which helps readers relate to the character. The “Cast of Characters” and “More Amazing Deep-Sea Facts” at the end provide additional information for those interested in going “deeper”.

Suggested Ages – This book is suitable for grade school readers. Younger readers will particularly like the blobfish cartoon and can read some of his words, and older ones and understand the simple facts about each animal included. The additional information at the end is a great resource for older readers, teachers and parents.

 

 

Down Down Down – A Journey to the Bottom of the Sea, by Steve Jenkins

 

Topics – sea, marine, fish, invertebrates

Summary – Steve Jenkins leads us Down Down Down from the seagulls on the surface to the goblin sharks in the twilight zone and to the eery spotlight fish in the deep dark bottom of the sea floor. This “journey to the bottom of the sea” is beautifully laid out, featuring a few amazing creatures at each level along with a simple graphic on each page that shows the reader where you are in the water column. The information on each animal is concise yet packed full of interesting facts. The supplemental material at the back of the book provides ample details for older readers and parents and expands upon the text for each zone and animal. Like What Do You Do with a Tail Like This? and How to Swallow a Pig, just to name a couple of Jenkins’s other books, Down Down Down combines the beauty and intrigue of the natural world with teachable scientific information in an elegant way.

Suggested Ages – This book is perfect for grade school readers as well as younger students who can learn much from the visual elements of the book. The extra material at the end of the book is great for older