Review by Booklist Review
K-Gr. 2. In stunning pictures and engaging words, this nonfiction picture book explains the facts behind the unusual life cycle alluded to in Eric Carle's Mister Seahorse 0 (2000). Pairing a central narrative about a male Barbour's sea horse with facts in smaller type, Butterworth first pinpoints the creatures' most immediately appealing attributes ("a head like a horse, a tail like a monkey"), then goes on to discuss the males' gestational role in reproduction and survival tactics of newly independent offspring. Though some statements may require adult elaboration, as when embryos are referred to as the "dots in the eggs," Butterworth has a flair for dynamic writing; children will listen with interest to the dramatic culmination of Sea Horse's birthing efforts, when babies "swirl around him in the water like smoke." Working in the same style that distinguished his artwork in Martin Waddell's Tiny's Big Adventure 0 (2004), Lawrence has created vinyl engravings that masterfully capture the delicate textures of sea horses' graceful, spiny bodies and of their undersea habitats. Capped by useful endnotes, this is an accomplished entree to early science topics. --Jennifer Mattson Copyright 2006 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
With Lawrence's (This Little Chick) signature mixed-media artwork and an oblong trim size, this book aptly mirrors the distinctive sea creature at its center. Butterworth's conversational, often lyrical prose demystifies the timid Barbour's sea horse: "He can only swim slowly,/ so if a hungry snapper cruises by,/ looking for a snack,/ Sea Horse does something very clever:/ he holds still and changes color/ (now you see him...)/ until he's almost invisible/ (now you don't!)." Three panels depict his transformation, while text set in smaller type offers additional details (e.g., "The way sea horses change the color of their skin to blend in with their surroundings is called camouflage"). A few weeks after an intriguing mating dance, it's the male who "works hard all day/ and through the night,/ .../ shooting hundreds/ of babies out of his pouch." The rest of the book focuses on a female: "This new sea horse is only/ as long as your eyelash,/ but she can find/ her own food right away." Lawrence's vinyl engravings, backed by a pale sea-foam green watercolor wash, please the eye with a subtle palette of earth-tone browns and coral reds plus beautifully etched ocean flora and fauna. The layout can sometimes feel a bit busy, with several rectangular prints alongside text in two typefaces. But the pages brim with information. This compact book is sure to fascinate. Ages 4-8. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 3-In addition to learning about sea horses, children will be enticed by the fabulous ocean depths captured in Lawrence's prints. The artist used wood textures to create watery backgrounds for the vinyl engravings of sea plants and animals. Watercolor washes in muted tones of green, blue, and red complete the look. Text that occasionally follows the wavy pattern of an ocean current provides brief but specific descriptions of the small creatures. Additional captions provide tactile depictions: "-he has tiny prickles down his back, like a dragon." The narrative focuses on the Barbour's breed with a dozen other types of sea horses illustrated on the endpapers. Facts such as how they move, reproduce, and eat are revealed with concrete details such as "[Each] new sea horse is only as long as your eyelash." Images illustrate such concepts as camouflage and the creatures' prehensile tail. Thoroughly engaging, this is a brilliant marriage of art and science.-Janet S. Thompson, Chicago Public Library CASTALDO, Nancy F. River Wild: An Activity Guide to North American Rivers. illus. by B. Kulak. 147p. charts. diags. maps. further reading. glossary. index. Web sites. CIP. Chicago Review. 2006. pap. $14.95. ISBN 1-55652-585-0. LC 2005022976. Gr 3-5-Combining information about the rivers of the United States, Canada, and Mexico with activities, this book tries hard to remain upbeat in spite of the devastating facts regarding river health. Pollution, environmental degradation, species extinction, and toxic discharges are just some of the ecological problems discussed. A few positive movements are pointed out, and river keepers of some major waterways are profiled. Some of the activities, such as panning for gold or searching for fossils, may be out of reach for most children, although the conservation suggestions and Web sites are helpful.-Eva Elisabeth VonAncken, Trinity-Pawling School, Pawling, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
(Primary) This engaging story of the life cycle of the Barbour's sea horse highlights the ever-fascinating and unusual male role in the reproductive cycle. A male sea horse travels among the sea-floor flora and fauna, changing color to blend in as needed. He then mates, carries fertilized eggs in his pouch, and sends baby sea horses out into the world. One of his offspring introduces readers to behavioral and physiological information about feeding habits, movement, and interactions with other creatures in the sea. Lawrence's remarkable illustrations combine engravings and watercolors to create an underwater environment awash in tonal blues and greens, corals, and browns. The engraving technique perfectly captures the rough textures of the sea horse and corals as well as the movements of seaweed waving in the current and fish darting back and forth. Text and illustrations work together to accurately portray the graceful appeal of the ""shy,"" gentle sea horses. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Superimposing vinyl-cut figures over wood-grain patterns and using a palette of greens and muted, orangey reds, Lawrence creates a private watery world through which small seahorses glide inconspicuously. Subtly changing colors to camouflage themselves, these "horselike [sic] sea monsters" (as their scientific name, "hippocampus," translates) lurk within coral formations and waving tufts of seaweed, performing a delicate mating dance before the female lays eggs in the male's pouch and, some time later, a new generation swirls away. Presenting basic information on two levels marked by changing type sizes, Butterworth focuses on the living part of the sea horse's life cycle, mentioning predators only in passing. Though the author sticks with a single species, Barbour's sea horses, Lawrence depicts 11 others (some of which are endangered or threatened) in the endpapers. An absorbing look at these unusual fish, though assignment-driven readers may prefer one of the introductions illustrated with photos, such as Twig C. George's Seahorses (2003). (closing note, rudimentary index) (Picture book/nonfiction. 7-9) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
