Oceans: Dolphins, Sharks, Penguins and More!

Rizzo, Johnna. Oceans: Dolphins, Sharks, Penguins, and More! National Geographic Society, 2010. 64 pages. ISBN 9781426306860.

Summary:

Have you ever wondered how fast a manatee can swim? Have you ever seen what a blob fish looks like? If you have questions about life in the ocean and its many, fascinating inhabitants, this title will be a great source and introduction. With beautiful color photographs, informative text and sidebars, glossary and index, this book profiles fourteen ocean creatures, plus information on coral reefs and twenty things to do to save the oceans. Though the text is aimed at young readers, some phrases might give them pause (“ravenous carnivores”); without a bold-face cue, young readers might not know to flip to the glossary for a definition of an unfamiliar word.

Curriculum Connections:

This title would make a good example text to showcase nonfiction text tools: photographs with captions, informative sidebars, comparison charts, table of contents, glossary, and index. Also, it could serve as a read-aloud to model nonfiction text-reading strategies for comprehension.

Personal Reflections:

This text will have broad appeal, for those who can read and comprehend the text and those who are “lookers.” Younger children will be attracted to the glossy and engaging photos while older readers will enjoy the fun facts and information.

Awards:

Age/Interest Range:

PreK-10

Genre/Themes:

Nonfiction, Wildlife, Animals, Ocean life, Science,

Read-Alikes:

The National Geograpic Kids Almanac 2011 and Eye Wonder: Ocean (Thornton) are both similar in their scope, tone, and level: great photographs and packed with facts.