Ocean

June 25, 2001
Four paper-over-board books, packed with engaging photographs and facts, kick off the Eye Wonder series. Readers learn which sea creatures dwell within the four ocean zones in Ocean by Samantha Gray. Sea cows, for instance, live in the sunlight zone, while the midnight zone is home to viper fish. Elinor Greenwood similarly examines every layer of tropical rain forests in Rain Forest. Dinosaur by Gray and Sarah Walker takes children through the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous eras; while Space by Simon Holland is a first guide to the galaxy and space travel.

December 1, 2001
Reviewed with Samantha Gray's "Ocean."

Gr. 3-5. The publisher's traditional format morphs into something a little bit different here. These books in the new Eye Wonder series are smaller, but the images remain pretty much the same. What's more, the publisher's recommended age level (ages five through eight) holds true only if an adult is reading the text aloud. "Dinosaur" uses model figures to introduce the creatures, with snippets of information surrounding the images. Among the topics covered are movement, hunting, nest and nurseries, and theories about the death of dinosaurs. "Ocean "uses a scattershot approach and covers a wide-range of subjects: sea creatures, coral reefs, and underwater exploration. The pictures in "Ocean" are clearer than those in "Dinosaur," but both books provide facts that will spark kids' interest. Still, libraries already having a full complement of books in the publisher's signature style may not feel the need to add these. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2001, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2002
The books in this series provide a basic overview of the plants and animals that live in the ocean or on its shores, or in the different layers of the rainforest, such as the understory, canopy, and emergent layer. Clear color photographs and a caption text provide basic information, but the format is busy and the text is sometimes printed over dark backgrounds, making it difficult to read. Glos., ind. [Review covers these Eye Wonder titles: "Ocean" and "Rain Forest". ]

(Copyright 2002 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)