A Spectacular Selection of Sea Critters: Concrete Poems

by Betsy Franco, Michael Wertz (Illustrator)

Overview

What might you see if you swam in the sea? Dive on in to encounter everything from dolphins and octopuses to sea turtles and squirrel fish. This clever book features concrete poems about a spectacular selection of sea critters.

The award-winning duo behind A Curious Collection of Cats and A Dazzling Display of Dogs created this collection of twenty-nine visual poems celebrating creatures of the sea. Ocean observers and animal aficionados are sure to find these selections sensational!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781467792103
Publisher:	Lerner Publishing Group
Publication date:	10/01/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
Lexile:	NP (what's this?)
File size:	75 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	8 - 9 Years

About the Author

Betsy Franco is the author of many books, including Zero Is the Leaves on the Tree and A Dazzling Display of Dogs. She lives in northern California.
Michael Wertz is a commercial artist who creates images for books, products, ads, CDs, and movie trailers. He lives in Oakland, California, and teaches at the California College of the Arts in the illustration department.

Editorial Reviews

"Franco and Wertz follow A Curious Collection of Cats and A Dazzling Display of Dogs with another entertaining grouping of concrete poems, this time focusing on undersea life. Most of the poems highlight a single animal: 'Fairy-tale creature,/ ancient traveler,/ tiny dragon,/ underwater question./ What tales/ do you have/ to tell us?' reads a poem about a seahorse. On another spread, animals occupy a pie chart to create a 'Reef Food Chain': 'The shrimp at the reef nibble algae all day./ A shrimp is what octopi munch./ An eel finds an octopus tasty and fun/ and makes it her mid-morning brunch.' Rendered in vibrant blues and oranges, Wertz's bold, graphic compositions playfully call to mind posters one might see at a seaside festival."—Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

2015-07-15
In their third picture-book outing, Franco and Wertz (A Dazzling Display of Dogs, 2011, etc.) dive into the sea. A sunny day provides the perfect entree for a poetic snorkeling trip revealing dozens of aquatic organisms illustrated through Wertz's vivid depictions of Franco's concrete poems (with the occasional limerick, cinquain, riddle, and haiku tossed in). Where the duo's last effort rather literally threatened to "dazzle" the senses, here Wertz's striking palette of blues, indigo, orange, reds, and yellow, showcased in richly detailed images and undulating lettering, effectively captures the sea's dynamism. Franco spotlights interesting fish and other creatures one might glimpse during a dive, highlighting vital aspects of oceanic life cycles and special characteristics of organisms sure to pique a child's interest. The "Spiny Puffer" is cleverly likened to a porcupine, and "Cleaner Fish" are "wary of fish with sharp white teeth, / so cleaner fish are wise. / They've found a way to get along, / help out, and harmonize. / They clean the teeth of scary fish / who'd eat them / otherwise." Young and old Nemo devotees will delight to find among Wertz's wavy orange fronds Franco's revelation as to "why clown fish hang out in the anemones"—it "poison[s] all your enemies"—and other engagingly rhymed facts. At once light, visually playful, and educational, Franco and Wertz's latest collaboration proves the third time's a charm. (Picture book/poetry. 6-10)

Kirkus Reviews