Review by Booklist Review
*Starred Review* Repeating the formula of smooth verse and dynamic woodblock illustrations that worked so well in On the Farm (2008) and In the Wild (2010), Elliott and Meade's newest collaboration is a playful exploration of life in the sea. From the tiny sea horse dainty as a wish, to the clown fish, which is not an enemy / of anemone, to the blue whale who sings of shipwrecked sailors down below, 20 creatures are celebrated with rhymes that accentuate their quirks and charms. The poems are tailor-made for reading aloud, with vocabulary sophisticated enough to challenge emerging readers while also engaging them in the fun of wordplay. ( Anemones / Gotta lotta zing! / By which I mean, / watch out! / They sting. ) It's amazing how the woodblock illustrations convey motion so beautifully, capturing the swell of the ocean and the graceful arches of the creatures. The art is well served by the book's slightly oversize format, allowing the larger animals in particular the space to impress. While back matter would have nicely extended the information presented in the poems, this is nonetheless a magnificent merger of words and images. It will appeal not only to poetry fans but also those children who marvel over the mysteries of the deep.--Dean, Kara Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In this aquatic companion to In the Wild and On the Farm, Meade's trademark woodblock prints and watercolors are intricate, action-filled, and artfully designed, while Elliott's brief poems are a linguistic treat, filled with dramatic metaphors that also convey information about the species described. The octopus is an "eight-armed apparition" that can vanish "in a cloud of ink./ No ghost, but a magician," and a shark sports a "brutal grin" that reveals "the terror/ of the dark within." While Meade's color schemes are not always realistic, they are artistically appealing and, like the jacket artwork, sometimes stunning. An eye-catching introduction to the beauty of the creatures that live "in the briny deep." Ages 3-5. (Feb.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3-Short, bouncy poems introduce ocean animals to young listeners. Evocative imagery of an octopus as an "eight-armed apparition" or a dolphin as an "acrobat with fins" plus energetic woodcut illustrations of creatures that swim, swirl, and dive across oversize pages add up to a good choice for storytimes as well as individual viewing. (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
In this companion book to the author-illustrator team's previous In the Wild (rev. 9/10) and On the Farm (rev. 3/08), poetry and art combine to create memorable portraits, for the very young, of twenty different ocean creatures. The full-spread woodcut-and-watercolor illustrations are both striking and simple. On one double-page spread, an octopus roils the inky water, the pages barely containing it and its eight coiled arms; on the next, a golden starfish shines on a calm expanse of sand. The tone of the very short poems varies nicely. Most are lightly humorous, such as "The Giant Squid": "Few have seen him. / Few wish to. / Hide from this one! / (That's what fish do.)" Others, like the longer poem on "The Blue Whale" that closes this brief collection, are evocative and almost majestic: "...the largest animal alive / sings a chanty deep and slow / of winds that rage and storms that blow, / of shipwrecked sailors down below..." Reel this one in; it's a keeper. martha v. parravano From HORN BOOK, Copyright The Horn Book, used with permission.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
(Picture book/poetry. 3-6)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
