Curious Critters: Marine

Gr 3 Up—This eye-catching collection of 20 unusual marine dwellers will amaze readers. The photographs are vivid and striking, while the text is incredibly witty and accessible, penned mostly in the first person from the perspectives of these creatures (the Hawaiian reef hermit crab greets readers, "Aloha! I'm so glad you could come to my housewarming luau."). The entries on the California sea cucumber, featuring text that evokes a comedy routine, and the cushion sea star, which is accompanied by an enchanting poem, will likely be among the most visited pages. These brief descriptions provide just enough information to whet readers' appetites and may inspire them to seek out more in-depth materials. The back matter includes more details on each animal, along with a game that asks children to identify the animals from the book based on silhouette images.