Product Description

This wondrous tour of coral reefs will thoroughly delight young children. Dr. Earle’s brief, informative text and Wolcott Henry’s dazzling close-up photographs introduce boys and girls to 12 different fish that dwell in the waters surrounding the reefs. Enchanting gobies pop out at the camera, jewel-like damselfish glimmer, a spotted stingray glides through the deep. Meeting these creatures eye to eye as they glide through clumps of coral, children will marvel at the teeming life in these underwater realms—and will be eager to explore them further.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #293380 in Books
• Published on: 2001-11-01
• Released on: 2001-11-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 32 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780792266976
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 4-Vivid, full-color photographs and brief text introduce 12 fish that occupy the waters around coral reefs. On each double-page spread, a framed block of text names the featured animal, provides a whimsical introductory statement (e.g., "Graceful, gentle creatures, rays glide/Through the sea like giant butterflies"), and describes its appearance or behavior in a few sentences. Illustrations of lovely, shadowy fish swimming against creamy, yellow pages form backdrops for the narrative, drawing the eye in an attractive counterpoint to the dramatic photos. A short introduction describes coral reefs and includes a map indicating their locations. Henry's stunning photography magnifies some of the fish, belying the actual small size of the gobies and damselfish. Though the information is minimal, Earle injects a bit of her personal experience as a diver and scientist: "When provoked, damselfish will chase away creatures many times their size-even me!" Bold and beautiful, this selective but inviting view of reef animals is a simpler introduction to coral reefs than Norbert Wu's more informative and also striking A City under the Sea (Atheneum, 1996) or Laurence Pringle's Coral Reefs (S & S, 1995).
Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
Earle (Dive!, p. 64) again transports readers to the ocean's depths, this time to introduce the weird and beautiful inhabitants of the coral reef. A dozen fish receive star treatment, with brief, exuberant paragraphs of text and dramatic full-color photographs. Almost every page is suitable for display, showing off the spotted moray eel, brown goby, stargazer fish, spotted sting ray, clownfish, shark, and others. The author has a unique perspective on the fish, e.g., ``I often stop and play with morays. I've even hugged a few! . . . In fact, these gentle and curious fish remind me of kittens.'' That statement, next to a picture of the gaping jaws of a sharp-toothed, freckled fish, is bound to have an impact on readers. Earle does not provide specific, detailed information on the fish, apparently content to hook browsers, and to inspire them to further research. Even those who have never ventured under the sea will appreciate this enthusiastic guide. (Picture book. 7-12) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Review
An internationally known marine biologist explores and explains the characteristics of some fish living on a coral reef...the full page, large photographs are spectacular. A book that will pique the curiosity of young naturalists... -- Boston Globe, Spring, 1999

Far less work than a home aquarium, and even more exotic in its content, is this collection of fish inhabitants of a tropical coral reef. From colorful clownfish to sinister stargazer, from blue-spotted stringray to silvertip shark, these denizens of the deep are here before our eyes, in clear, captivating close-up portraits. The text is short and simple, a mere hors d'oeuvre of an introduction to tropical fish, but the outsized dramatic color photographs will reward looking at again and again. (Selma G. Lanes, Parents' Choice, 1998) -- From Parents' Choice®

Young readers are invited into an undersea world of fish and other marine life in this photographic introduction to the coral reefs...Earle's text is simply and succinctly informative...Henry's superb color photographs of morays, brown gobys, sharks, damselfish, and others are composed like portraits, providing a remarkably up-close look at a remarkable variety of marine life. Both format and layout make this a strong non-fiction choice for both reading aloud to groups and individual beginning readers... -- The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, June 1999

Customer Reviews

Fabulous book for kids of all ages!
The splendid underwater photos in this book bring kids face to face with a variety of coral reef fish including comical clown fish, valiant damselfish and shy gobies. Even little kids love it. Our 17 month-old made me read it five times yesterday! For older kids, the simple but rich text gives a sense of each fish's personality. Highly recommended - Sylvia Earle and Wolcott Henry have masterfully crafted a book that educates while entertaining and engaging the imagination of readers of all ages.

Not amazed
My 18-month daughter is currently thrilled with fish, so I've been searching for fish picture books. This one did not really thrill me as the photo quality is not optimal and it has more pictures of coral and other reef creatures than fish. Maybe it will be more interesting in a couple of years for her.