Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Held and Kim follow their first two Neighbors titles with a grouping of 13 poems that pay tribute to aquatic species, from humble minnows to massive whales. Several poems have a subtle New York "accent" (references to Sag Harbor and the Astor family's fur trading appear in the seal and beaver poems, respectively). More prominent are the poems' frequent environmental themes ("Mostly, crustaceans live in sediment,/ but if water pollution thrives,/ say bye-bye to bivalves"). Set against simplified maritime backdrops, Kim's flattened collages bring in a variety of textures for the sea creatures-a manatee's streaky gray hide bears "scars on her shoulder/ from a boat's propeller," while brownish-green triangles lend a spiky appearance to a snapping turtle's "hard black carapace,/ or shell, it can't replace." Ages 3-11. (Jan.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
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Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-5-A collection of poems about creatures who live in or near the water. The highlighted "critters" include a dolphin, a harbor seal, a beaver, a snapping turtle, a manatee, bivalves, a polar bear, a sea otter, a sea horse, a tiger salamander, a shark, a minnow, and a whale. The verses celebrate and weave in facts about each animal. The vocabulary in each poem is suited for an older audience and is ideal for language/poetry writing conversations. For example, "Snapping Turtle" uses words such as hapless, carapace, scute, and plastron-terms not familiar to most kids. The beautiful, collage-style artwork captures the softness and movement of the water. Each naturalistic illustration is engaging and has a touch of whimsy. VERDICT The picture book format is ideal for a young audience, but the language and concepts introduced need to be part of a broader conversation.-Paige Bentley-Flannery, Deschutes Public Library, Bend, OR (c) Copyright 2015. 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 Kirkus Book Review
This latest addition to the Neighbors poetry series offers engaging poetry for young children. Held and Kim (The Yard Critters Too, 2013, etc.) continue their partnership with a new set of 13 poems that combine wordplay and factual information about animals from aquatic biomes. The marine critters include a dolphin, a seal, a manatee, bivalves, a polar bear, a sea otter, a sea horse, a shark, and a whale; the freshwater animals include a beaver, a snapping turtle, a tiger salamander, and a minnow. As in the authors' earlier volumes, each spread features at least one easy-to-interpret digital collage or illustrated image. The addition of higher-level cultural referencesUniqlo and Prius, for exampleand a poem that doesn't provide contextual clues to the meanings of challenging words ("Tiger Salamander") suggest that the book may not be appropriate for very young readers. The authors continue to use a wide variety of ear-pleasing rhymesincluding homophones (see/sea), weak rhymes (Uniqlo/also), alliteration (so placid/so pleasant), assonance (brine/time), and broken rhymes (jaws/awesome). However, some moments may stop some readers in their tracks. There are some personifications that don't quite click (Heron and Tern are called "stern," with no apparent rationale other than forcing the rhyme); and a passage about blue whales inexplicably switches to humpbacks. "Bivalves" begins with an obscure double entendre"So common they're part of our tongue / which is happy to order and taste them"which requires readers to understand the word "tongue" to mean a language as well as an organ in the mouth used to speak. The illustrations, however, continue to delight with their combination of different art styles, and their surprising patterns, which invite second looks. Well-illustrated poetry which may be too challenging for some younger readers. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
