Ocean Animals from Head to Tail - Hardcover

Roderick, Stacey

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1771383453 ISBN 13: 9781771383455

Publisher: Kids Can Press, 2016

Synopsis

This nonfiction picture book uses a playful guessing game to introduce eight different ocean animals and some unique aspects of their bodies. First, readers are shown a close-up illustration of an unusual part of an animal's body and asked to guess its owner: “What ocean animal has a head like this?” Then the following spread reveals the animal's name (e.g., “A hammerhead shark!”), along with an illustration of the whole animal in its habitat. There's also a brief description of the animal's traits with a special emphasis on the featured body part. For example, readers learn that a blue whale's mouth contains baleen, which help it capture krill to eat, and that the tail of a seahorse curls so it can hold on to sea plants for stability. Young children will recognize that every animal has its own distinctive features and body parts that help it survive. Author Stacey Roderick has created a perfect beginning exploration of the physical traits of ocean animals that's both engaging and informative. Paper collage illustrations by Kwanchai Moriya in bright, eye-catching colors bring the animals to vivid and appealing life. The fun, interactive nature of the guessing game makes this book ideal for a read-aloud. It would be a terrific addition to an early life-science class on the characteristics of living things or on types of ocean animals. A bonus spread includes information on eight more ocean animals.

About this title

About the Author

Kwanchai Moriya is an illustrator and painter. He was born in New York and grew up in the suburbs of Chicago. He completed his education with a degree in History from the University of California and a degree in Illustration from the Art Center College of Design. Kwanchai lives and works in Los Angeles, California.

Reviews

K-Gr 2—For all those looking to have fun while learning about various ocean animals, this upbeat work is sure to satisfy. The question-and-answer format allows for readers to engage with the story whether they are reading it alone, with an adult, or in a group setting. Each subject is given two spreads: the question spread (for example, "What ocean animal has a head like this?") is accompanied by a close-up illustration (for this example, the head of a hammerhead shark), with the next spread showing the reveal ("A hammerhead shark!") along with a paragraph explaining a bit about the particular creature and a full rendering of it in the ocean. Moriya created the images in Adobe Photoshop, using photos and textures that give the work an overall collagelike effect of bright and friendly-looking sea life. Only eight ocean animals are featured, but they are a good beginning. The last two pages introduce eight more awesome ocean animals—to get the curiosity going. VERDICT Enjoyable and interactive, this title is ideal for read-alouds, especially in the summer.—Valentine Muyumba, Indiana State University

Edition details

• Publisher: Kids Can Press
• Publication date: 2016
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1771383453
• ISBN 13: 9781771383455
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Moriya Kwanchai
• Number of pages: 36