And the Tide Comes In…: Exploring a Georgia Salt Marsh

Gr 3–4—A child in Georgia takes her Colorado cousin on daily visits to a nearby salt marsh. Ginger discovers the cyclical nature of this habitat as she observes and asks about this ecosystem. Alongside the description of the activities of the two girls is an explanation of an aspect of the marsh. Representational animals such as fiddler crabs, blue crabs, and shrimp and the importance of a marsh to their survival are described. The author uses approachable language in such comparisons as the marsh to a neighborhood coffee shop-local birds who visit there every day and others who drop by on their way somewhere else. Each spread has a full-page, brightly colored illustration of the girls' explorations, facing a small color drawing that elucidates the factual paragraph. A browsable look on two levels at a vital coastal habitat and resource.—Frances E. Millhouser, formerly at Chantilly Regional Library, Fairfax County, VA