Review by Booklist Review
This installment in the Colors of the World series (2 titles) zeroes in on the color blue, focusing on the myriad roles water plays across our planet. After a zoomed-out overview of earth and the water cycle, the vibrantly illustrated book then divides and conquers, examining in turn the different waterways of the world, including oceans, rivers, and lakes. Each section maps these bodies of water, diagrams some of the animals living there (often with size comparison charts), and explains the effect they have on the planet at large. Segments of the book are also devoted to explaining the ways in which humans navigate and live alongside water. The well-labeled, full-bleed illustrations make this fascinating to peruse; the lack of source notes means it's ideal for browsers. An intriguing visual journey into our planet's waterways.--Maggie Reagan Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 1--4--This work introduces younger children to the many wonders of oceans and river life. Full-color illustrations depict examples of animal life dependent on the waters in which they live. The five oceans and the major rivers of the world are presented with information about each. The water cycle is explained and illustrated showing the ceaseless circle of renewal. The sizes and habitats of creatures great and small living in a variety of waters are compared. The great white shark is presented as a fearsome creature, and viper fish are portrayed with scary fangs. Transportation on waterways is represented by a variety of vessels, and floating homes and barges are shown as possible places to live on the water. Yet the broad assortment of facts, figures, and creatures results in a lack of coherence in this introductory work. VERDICT A random collection of information about life in Earth's oceans and rivers that lacks the coherence needed to be a truly useful resource. Best serves as an addition to existing collections on habitats.--Eva Elisabeth VonAncken, formerly at Trinity-Pawling School, NY
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Broad overviews of both the water cycle and the varieties of life in waters fresh and salty.In simple language broken up into one- or two-sentence blocks, Butterfield leads a tour of our planet's five oceans and select biomes at their edges and various depths, then moves on to the four largest rivers and a half-dozen named representative lakes. A spread of boats and another of aquatic homes on various continents acknowledge human use, capped by glances at a community well and a water-treatment plant that lead to a final appeal not to waste or spoil our "sparkling treasure!" Woodward crowds most of the natural locales with characteristic wildlife, much of it seen close up, all reasonably accurately rendered in what looks like layered, painted paper collage. Human figures are rare and distant but seem to be matched to their diverse locales. In the co-published Green Planet: Life in Our Woods and Forests, the scene shifts to woodsy settings for basic pictures of tree types and metabolism plus glimpses of rainforest insects and spider monkeys, grizzly bears in snowy boreal forests, owls and other residents of deciduous woods, and arboreal human dwellings (albeit with no humans in sight).A serviceable early introduction to watery environments and some of their residents, wild and otherwise. (index) (Informational picture book. 6-9) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
