Ocean Planet: Animals of the Sea and Shore by Ben Rothery

What worked:

The book presents fascinating creatures that live in or around oceans from across the planet. They range from microscopic organisms to gigantic whales and sharks, and the chapters organize them by species, habitat, and the unusual. Oceans are separated by climate, as animals living around tropical, temperate, and frozen lands vary greatly. There’s a huge difference between living things found at the bottom of the ocean, those near the surface, and those found along shorelines.

The illustrations are colorful and spectacular! A world map and an ocean diagram help readers understand climate zones and ocean habitats, the locations millions of creatures call home. The book is a full fifteen inches tall, so the vibrant pictures of swimming, flying, and crawling creatures are eye-catching and detailed. The realistic illustrations enable readers to note specific characteristics of the flamboyant cuttlefish, the yellow seahorse, and the dragon moray eel.

The book is not meant to have all the information possible about all of the animals living near the oceans. It will make a wonderful introduction for readers interested in learning about things living in these parts of the planet. Each chapter presents some general information and then shares paragraphs and pictures with interesting facts regarding specific familiar and obscure species of animals. There are pilot fish living near blue sharks in the open oceans, deep-sea angler fish located near the bottoms, and sea otters found in kelp forests along the earth’s coastlines.

What didn’t work as well:

There are some science words used in the text that are not defined. Young readers might need to have definitions included in the sentences or available in a glossary. For example, the terms estuaries and cold-blooded are used when describing saltwater crocodiles. Many adults might not know the definition for estuaries, while most young readers might have an idea of the meaning for cold-blooded. However, cold-blooded is a very important term when describing sea creatures, so providing a clear meaning is equally important. In general, the author effectively provides meanings and context clues for most terms, so this issue isn’t a major drawback.

The Final Verdict:

A big, beautiful book to mesmerize young readers. The skillfully crafted, colorful illustrations provide interest and entertainment, while the text full of fascinating information isn’t overwhelming. This book is highly recommended for lovers of sea life and nature, both young and old.