A Young Explorer's Guide to Undersea Life - Hardcover

Conway, Ket Tom; Armstrong, Pam; Monterey Bay Aquarium

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1878244108 ISBN 13: 9781878244109

Publisher: Monterey Bay Aquarium, 1996

Synopsis

Introducing readers to such marine animals as sea lions, killer whales, elephant seals, leopard sharks, and moon jellies, a lavishly illustrated guide features lively text that describes the habitats and behaviors of each.

About this title

About the Author

Ket Tom Conway grew up along the shores of California and currently lives in La Selva Beach. She received her fine arts degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and received her illustration degree from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. Always fascinated by sea creatures, she was a high school art teacher who enjoyed educating others about the importance of preserving our natural environment.

Pam Armstrong lives at the edge of the sea in Pacific Grove, California, where she raises her son Mike. She has written and developed numerous educational programs and material for the Monterey Bay Aquarium, National Audubon Society and Yosemite National Park and worked on a collaborative project with LucasArts Entertainment.

Reviews

Grade 3-4?A well-organized, beautifully illustrated picture-book introduction to Pacific marine life. Beginning with plankton, the smallest example, the engaging narrative introduces representatives of many levels of flora and fauna, ending with dolphins, gray and humpback whales, and orcas. Each one-page entry faces a watercolor illustration. Small drawings appear next to names and terms used in the narrative. The artwork is lively and colorful. It spills out over the borders exuberantly, moon jellies pulsing up toward the top of the page, a giant Pacific octopus slipping to the side, and the Wolf eel curving and bending open-mouthed toward the bottom. The text is easy to follow; using comparisons to everyday items and sizes brings an immediacy of recognition and relationship. However, the definitions in the three-page glossary are flat and unimaginative compared to the rest of the text and detract from an otherwise fine presentation.?Frances E. Millhouser, Chantilly Regional Library, VA
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Painterly undersea images matched with a lyrical, informative text offer readers an inspiring introduction to the ocean's inhabitants in Young Explorer's Guide to Undersea Life by Pam Armstrong, illus. by Ket Tom Conway. Readers follow a sea star as it finds dinner (a mussel), while a purple shore crab "harvests a tasty salad of small green algae growing on the rocks." Scientific names are provided, as is a glossary of sea-related words. )
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Gr. 3^-5. "Pssst . . . . over here! It's time to go exploring! You'll need your special explorer's clothes--the ones that can go under water. . . . We're taking a storybook trip to the sea." Children who can put up with the tone of the introduction will find the text more straightforward, although the information on individual species is too scanty for reports. This large-format book introduces a few plants and about two dozen animals that live in and around the sea. Each species appears on a double-page spread with an attractive watercolor illustration and several lines of text. The description might include the size, the food, the habits, and the special features of the animal or plant. Recommended for larger collections. Carolyn Phelan

Edition details

• Publisher: Monterey Bay Aquarium
• Publication date: 1996
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1878244108
• ISBN 13: 9781878244109
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Conway Ket Tom
• Number of pages: 64