The Most Amazing Creature in the Sea (review)

TITLE:   The Most Amazing Creature in the Sea 

AUTHOR:  Brenda Z. Guiberson

PUBLISHER:  Henry Holt and Company

COPYRIGHT DATE:  2015

AGE RANGE:  ages 4-8 (Kirkus, 2015)

LEXILE LEVEL:  none found

ACCELERATED READER:  IL:  LG-BL: 4.2 AR Pts.: 0.5

SUMMARY:

          What makes a creature the “most amazing creature in the sea”?  Is it its ability as a predator, or its camouflage as potential prey?  Or, is it something different, something strange?  Take the box jellyfish, for instance.  It has no brain, no blood, no backbone and no lungs; yet its 24 eyes and toxic cells make it a deadly hunter.  Or, the vampire squid which can turns its body inside out to hide?  Or the barreleye fish whose transparent head allows it to see straight up from the ocean floor.  Or, the blue whale who weighs 6,000 pounds at birth and whose adult heart is the size of a car!

COMMENTS:   

          This book is sure to amaze young readers with its strange facts about ocean creatures.  It reiterates the fact that there are still so many creatures of the deep of which we have no knowledge…yet.  Sure to tantalize the curiosity of young inquisitive minds.

REVIEW:

          Kirkus Review states, “Inviting their readers to choose the answer themselves, this skillful author-illustrator pair (Brenda Z. Guiberson and Gennady Spirin) again encourages their senses of wonder at the natural world.” (Kirkus, 2015)

AWARDS:

·        Association for Library Services to Children (ALSC) Notable Children's Books

·        Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC) Choice-University of Wisconsin

·        Junior Library Guild selection (Guiberson, 2004-present)

RELATED MATERIAL:

Beck, W. H. (2016). Glow: Animals with their Own Nightlights. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin.

           “Bioluminescence” is another word for “glow”.  When a living thing is bioluminescent, it makes its own light.  We all know that fireflies can do this, but there are also many other animals that live in the ocean that do it too.  Why?  Because the ocean is a deep, dark place.  Animals light up to attract prey or to draw attention to themselves.

            The ocean covers most of the world; therefore, bioluminescence is the “most widely used form of communication on the planet.”  (p 13)

Comment:  The photos in this book are incredible and the author does a good job of describing the way in which each type of animal highlighted in the book uses its bioluminescence.  Very educational!

Keating, J. (2016). Pink is for Blobfish: Discovering the World’s Perfectly Pink Animals. New York, NY: Alfred A. Knopf.                                                       

          This book examines land animals as well as ocean creatures.  It offers great photographs and weird facts about many different types of animals.  A young reader interested in quirky animal facts will surely love this book.

Roy, K. (2014). Neighborhood Sharks: Hunting with the Great Whites of California's Farallon Islands.  New York: David Macaulay Studio, Roaring Brook Press.                                                                                            Wonderful descriptions of the workings of the body of the Great White Shark complete with descriptive watercolor illustrations. 

REFERENCES:

Guiberson, B. (2004-present). The Books of Brenda Guiberson:  The Most Amazing Creature in the Sea . Retrieved from http://www.brendazguiberson.com/books/amazingsea.php

Kirkus Review. (2015, March 17). The Most Amazing Creature in the Sea. Retrieved from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/brenda-z-guiberson/the-most-amazing-creature-in-the-sea/