Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-A mediocre collection of rhymes featuring different ocean animals. "The crab likes walking sideways/And I think the reason why,/Is to make himself look sneaky/And pretend that he's a spy." Although the poems are short, the vocabulary will occasionally be difficult for beginning readers. The opening and closing poems state that the book explores animals that live "beneath the sea," and yet polar bears and penguins are included. The brightly colored cartoon art is playful, but uninspired. Stick with Douglas Florian's In the Swim (Harcourt, 1997) for more creative writing and clever watercolor illustrations.-Robin L. Gibson, Muskingum County Library System, Zanesville, OH (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
Brief, singsongy verse describes a variety of sea creatures. The subject of Swordfish reveals that I love to chase after small fishes, / It keeps me from getting too bored. / And then when I start feeling hungry, / I skewer a few on my sword. Readers may find the sophomoric humor appealing, but there's nothing original here to elevate these poems above the pedestrian. Bright cartoonlike artwork suits the tone of the verse. From HORN BOOK Spring 1999, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
The round glass of a submarine porthole provides a window through which the animals of the ocean can be spied upon in all their ``commotion.'' Crab, turtle, dolphin, jellyfish, shark, and more come under the scrutiny of Andreae, who gives each one a rhyming stanza or limerick that is often sing-song. Attributes of each creaturesa shark's big mouth, a dolphin's sounds, a swordfish's skewerprovide the subject matter, but the treatment is humorous, not scientific. The arms of the mother octopus enable her to tickle all of her children on their stomaches simultaneously; a crab's sideways movements turn him into a sneaky spy. The illustrations further anthropomorphize the undersea creatures, giving each one curly eyelashes and smiling faces. The only innovation here is a poem about barnacles written in tiny type on the underside of a blue whale, as if the words themselves are clinging to the giant. Otherwise, this British import is ordinary and often amateurish. (Picture book. 3-6)
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