One day on our blue planet ... in the ocean

PreS-Gr 1-The latest in this series follows a dolphin calf as she explores the vast Pacific Ocean while guiding a lost baby whale back to her mother, helping her pod to group their prey near the ocean's surface to eat, and staying alert by sleeping with one eye open. As with the other books in the series, the story depicts a typical day from morning to night, and here the background shades of blue on each page gradually signal this change. Each spread is brimming with a variety of sea creatures-the best, perhaps, being the illustration of the Great Barrier Reef, which will captivate readers as they search for all of the aquatic life within. All of the animals in the book are labeled on the endpapers that wonderfully depict the vibrant and amazing diversity of ocean life in the shallows as well as the deep. A simple, engaging narrative combines with the rich colors of the work to provide a charming introduction to the ecosystem for young audiences. VERDICT A great addition to any informational picture book collection and a solid choice for a read-aloud with little explorers.-Maggie Mason Smith, Clemson University, SC © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

A bottlenose dolphin calf and her pod lead a lost baby whale from the shallow waters of the Great Barrier Reef to his mother in the deep open ocean. From dawn through dusk and night to morning, Bailey follows a young dolphin on an improbable adventure. As in previous titles about the savanna, the Antarctic, and the rainforest in this appealing series, the author/illustrator portrays the waters around Australia as full of wildlife. The front endpapers identify 41 different "animals of the ocean shallows," while the rear ones show 28 "animals of the ocean deep." Many are also pictured in the engaging illustrations within. This is good, as child readers are likely to be more caught up in identifying the creatures than gripped by the slim story. These crisp, simple images successfully show the difference between the colorful, sunlit reef environment and the darker ocean, but they don't quite convey the striking difference in population density. Furthermore, the blacktip reef shark and the giant moray eel, which in real life prefer the shallower waters around the reef, are pictured as deep-ocean inhabitants. Some useful facts about the dolphins are sprinkled into the narrative: They communicate in squeaks, clicks, and whistles; they work together to hunt; and, like other mammals, they breathe air and their calves drink milk. A pleasant introduction to ocean inhabitants that will show well at storytime. (Informational picture book. 4-7) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.