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I’ve always loved reading about animals. When Dad and I would drive to the store as a kid, I would pick his brain about all sorts of sea life: whales, dolphins, piranhas, and sharks, of course. I have always thought that God’s sea creatures were amazing (though mostly the scary ones), and I’m happy now to have a fascinating book for Micah to learn from. What is this book?
This book will teach your young child about the different types of ocean families (fish, mammals, reptiles, mollusks, and crustaceans), how they get around in the water (fins, flippers, wiggling, bobbing along, and jet-propulsion), and how they breathe. The book ends teaching about tide pools and the sea creatures usually left in them, the kinds of creatures that live in the deep depths of water, why our oceans our in danger, and fishy phrases: definitions of key words about marine life. Have your kids search through the book for a sardine that pops up in 15 different places.
As well, 20 different underwater creatures are each given a two-page spread with 5-6 facts given about them. Baby sharks lose their first set of teeth before they are even born, tiger sharks literally barf their stomachs out of their mouth after eating to rinse it off, and some fast sharks have to swim with their mouths open to filter enough water to breathe. They can’t slow down or they will suffocate. Just reading that makes me feel the need to take a few deep breaths. Stay away from leopard seals. The blue whale has a heart the size of a small horse. Some squid shoot glow-in-the-dark ink. Cut a jellyfish in half, and it will become two jellyfish. Deep sea fish have adapted in special ways to live underneath all the tons of water above. Basically, they’re all ugly (and very interesting). A swordfish can pierce the hull of a boat, and the adults don’t have teeth. When dolphins sleep, they rest one half of their brain at a time.
Recommended?
This was a really cool book. Micah is under the age range (below), but he still likes taking this book down to look at it. I try to explain how big the whales and sharks are, how squishy the jellyfish is, and how “gross” the sea snake is. He loves it. I think this book was great, and the illustrations were neat. I think it’s a great idea and a helpful way to get your kids interested in the strange animals of our sea world.
Lagniappe
- Series: The Big Book of…
- Author/Illustrator: Yuval Zommer
- Beast Expert: Barbara Taylor
- Age Range: 3 – 5 years
- Hardcover: 64 pages
- Publisher: Thames & Hudson (June 5, 2018)
- Other reviews in this series:
- The Big Book of Beasts
- The Big Book Bugs (forthcoming)
Find it on Amazon and the Thames & Hudson!
Disclosure: I received this book free from Thames & Hudson. The opinions I have expressed are my own, and I was not required to write a positive review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html.
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