Sea Creatures from the Sky

PreS-Gr 2—Abducted from its life underwater, a shark goes on a strange journey from the sea into the sky. There, it is handled and prodded and then released by two strange creatures, who readers will recognize as marine biologists. Once the shark is released by the scientists, it goes back to the other sea critters to tell them of the unbelievable encounter. Cortés's story certainly presents a unique perspective, but its rhyming scheme may be off-putting; sentence length changes frequently, and the meter is often off by a beat ("One bite, that's all it took. For this little fish had a hook"), so reading aloud can prove to be challenging. The phenomenal artwork is what truly makes this book special. The landscapes of the sea, the sky, and outer space are breathtaking. Cortés's different blending and thinning of the colors create a world of beauty.