"A magnificent merger of words and images." — Booklist (starred review)
A New York Times best-selling author and a Caldecott Honor–winning illustrator explore life in the ocean. In striking woodcut illustrations, diverse creatures glide through blue and green waters, while succinct, witty poetry examines their behavior and interactions. In this companion volume to On the Farm and In the Wild, David Elliott and Holly Meade explore the depths of the ocean in a collection of poems sure to thrill budding oceanographers and landlubbers alike.
Elliott and Meade's newest collaboration is a playful exploration of life in the sea... The poems are tailor-made for reading aloud, with vocabulary sophisticated enough to challenge emerging readers while also engaging them inthe fun of wordplay... A magnificent merger of words and images. It will not only appeal to poetry fans, but to all those children who marvel over the mysteries of the deep.
—Booklist (starred review)
Meade’s trademark woodblock prints and watercolors are intricate, action-filled, and artfully designed, while Elliott’s brief poems are a linguistic treat... An eye-catching introduction to the beauty of the creatures that live “in the briny deep.”
—Publishers Weekly
This mix of clever poems, handsome art and well-chosen typography will function equally well for bedtime sharing and early-learning settings.
—Kirkus Reviews
Poetry and art combine to create memorable portraits, for very young readers, of twenty different ocean creatures... Reel this one in; it's a keeper.
—The Horn Book
Accompanying the verse on each spread are bold woodblock and watercolor illustrations that successfully capture the atmosphere and movement of the ocean. From the maw of the moray eel to the detail in the coral, the art perfectly matches the tone of the poetry.
—School Library Journal
Sea lovers will find this picture book delightful. Readers not only learn of underwater animals, they will be captivated by the rhymes throughout the book.
—Library Media Connection
Thanks to this collection of 17 poems, we stop to consider the awe-inspiring life that goes on in our planet's salty depths. A stellar pairing of poems and artwork that celebrates the ocean's depths, teeming with life.
—Shelf Awareness
Elliott's short poems surprise and delight with their unique descriptions... an excellent introduction to the underwater world.
—Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Moving from poems about the seasons to poems inspired by the ocean, this collection of often funny verses about animals under the sea is short enough to be read at bedtime, but rich enough to inspire all sorts of conversations about the creatures we rarely see.
—Huffington Post Parents
Meade’s stunning woodcuts swim off the page and invite the young reader to enter the magical world of the ocean.
—BookPage
The rich rhymes...are inviting and challenging while the drama of the woodcuts brings a gasp at every page turn.
—BookPage