Atlas of Ocean Adventures

November 8, 2019

Gr 2-4-The latest installment in the "Atlas of" series takes readers deep into the world's five oceans, spotlighting the creatures specific to those environments. Each aquatic location is introduced with a brief profile, a map, and details about the respective habitat. Creatures and organisms are drawn in their natural environment using realistic, detailed ink illustrations. Section titles display clever wordplay such as "Snoozing with the Sea Otters, USA" and "Cracking Clams with the Tuskfish, Australia." The back matter includes a call to action, an animal scavenger hunt, and an index. The large and colorful artwork depicts the animals with animated features. Curved sentences placed throughout each scene will capture the attention of young readers. Although the black text against darker backgrounds can make the words difficult to read, it almost makes the sentences feel connected to the animal scavenger hunt. VERDICT Recommended for readers who enjoy National Geographic's ocean-centered series for children or crave armchair adventures.-Hilary Tufo, Columbus Metropolitan Library-Reynoldsburg, OH

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2019
A globe-spanning gallery of marine life in panoramic settings ranging from the rocky nesting sites of seabirds to the depths of the Marianas Trench. Hawkins and Letherland (Atlas of Dinosaur Adventures, 2017, etc.) include stops in Arctic and other northerly waters but largely focus on named locales in the Pacific and the Southern Hemisphere. Painted views of a sperm whale and a colossal squid going tooth to tentacle in the Ross Sea or a teeming shoal of hammerhead sharks swirling around a Cocos Island seamount supply visual drama while undulating lines of accompanying captions offer generous dollops of the verbal sort: "The lionfish gets a taste of its own medicine as the Bobbit worm injects a paralyzing toxin. Dinner is served." Here brightly colored sea dragons and other tropical fish dart through equally picturesque reefs, there blue-footed boobies and crimson Sally Lightfoot crabs (both "nifty little movers") strut their stuff ashore. As if there weren't natural business enough to provide an engrossing turmoil, sharp-eyed viewers will spot goggles on a leatherback turtle, a Magellanic penguin poised on a diving board, and other tongue-in-cheek tweaks. Periodic mentions of the dangers of floating plastic and other pollution add an undercurrent that surfaces at the end in a spread titled "Oceans in Danger." Otherwise, aside from the occasional boat, humans and their works are absent. An immersive tour of oceanic realms. (index) (Informational picture book. 8-11)

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