The Most Amazing Creatures in the Sea

Reviewed by: Patricia Temple - Long Island Community Library, Long Island, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: October 8, 2015

Review

This non-fiction presentation of a variety of large and small awe inspiring sea creatures is interactive and attention getting. The first double page spread begins with the query "Who is the most amazing creature in the sea?" What follows is a parade of candidates introduced with a name and short, superlative packed description running at the bottom 20% of the double page spread. The accompanying illustrations of these remarkable creatures will illicit ahhs and ewwes from readers. The illustrator has used a wide variety of muted colors to evoke the undersea habitat, while also capturing the drama of these animal's lives. The final page again asks the reader to decide which animal is the most amazing. This will naturally lead to a second reading. The back matter includes a thoughtful author's note, bibliography and list of online resources. A bit more additional information on each individual animal in the style of the author's previous book "Frog Song" included in the back matter would have elevated this to an excellent rating in this reviewer's opinion.

Overall Book Score: very good