Fact Friday: Beneath the Waves: Celebrating the Ocean through Pictures, Poems and Stories by Stephanie Warren Drimmer

Beneath the Waves: Celebrating the Ocean through Pictures, Poems and Stories by Stephanie Warren Drimmer. 192 p. National Geographic, March, 2021. 9781426339165. (Review of finished copy borrowed from public library.)

Fact Friday features Beneath the Waves: Celebrating the Ocean through Pictures, Poems and Stories by Stephanie Warren Drimmer. This oversized is a handsome miscellanea of all things ocean. Well-organized and attractively designed, though not necessarily delivering on the promise of poems - there are six, leaving five of the eleven chapters without a poem. Nonetheless, the facts are fascinating, delivered in a combination of longer paragraphs as well as thumbnail boxes, and the photos are absolutely dazzling. The concluding chapter hammers home what we humans ought to be doing to protect the seas that surround us. 

Back matter consists of an afterword by Sylvia Earle, a list of scientific names and an index, making it helpful for young researchers to locate specific information. If you display this prominently, it won't sit. That cover just begs readers!

I learned of this thanks to the blog "Randomly Reading." Pop on over there to read a more detailed and descriptive review. 

Picture Book Review: Seashells: more than a home by Melissa Stewart

Image: Charlesbridge

Seashells: more than a home by Melissa Stewart. Illustrated by Sarah S. Brannen. unpgd. Charlesbridge, April, 2019. 9781580898102. (Review of finished copy courtesy of publisher.)

Anyone who has visited the seashore has to notice what the tides wash up. These include sea weed, bits of wood, the occasional piece of sea glass, perhaps some litter and shells, both whole and in pieces. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Just what are these creatures? 

Melissa Stewart explains it all in this succinct, accessible text that combines narrative and expository nonfiction. The sentences that float across the tops of each spread describe the functions of seashells using similes. The expository part presents in a different font, color and size near the bottom. A few sentences provide more facts. Illustrations add to understanding. Each mollusk gets a double-page spread showing the animal in its environment in muted color. A sketch pad depicts a scientific drawing that highlights a concept.

Back matter lists the five largest groups of mollusks, bivalves, cephalopods, chitons, gastropods and scaphopods with more information about each group. Both the author and illustrator have notes that explain their love for seashells. There are three suggestions for further reading followed by a list of selected source by both author and illustrator. The decorated end-pages also adds to reader's knowledge by highlighting each mollusk's range and habitat. 

Seashells: more than just a home is a wonderful addition for any school or classroom library. It fits very nicely into the ocean biome part of science units.