Ocean Buddies, Life in the Salty Seas: Timid Around the Octopus and Orca, Wary of Sharks and Squids

Describes life in the sea from the seashore to the ocean floor, and discusses some of the animals and plants that live there and how they survive

Gr 3-4--A description of ocean animals and plants, related in a very informal and unscientific style. The unpaged text is filled with such examples as "wacky side-walking crabs"; "bazillions of itty bitty corals"; "lobster love"; "synchronized swimmers"; fish in schools without books, teacher or blackboard. The narrative is not divided into chapters but does progress logically from seashore to ocean depths and bottom. The authors use variations in font size, capitalization, spacing, and symbols to emphasize information. The word water placed under wavy lines, s l o w l y spelled out with spaces, little, and BIG are examples of this technique. The text is also arranged in and around full-page, black-and-white line drawings. Anthropomorphization further mars the narrative, e.g., the text states that the seastar's starpoints are its legs, arms and hands, which it uses to move, grab, hug, etc. A quasi-nonfiction offering that sinks under the weight of its own cuteness.

Frances E. Millhouser, Chantilly Regional Library, VA

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