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Children's Literature
Until recently, teachers of children that are non- or beginning readers had to improvise when teaching about aquatic creatures. This meant anything from finding and mounting their own pictures and relating facts to using books meant for older students, putting the text into simpler sentences. Now along comes the "Under the Sea" series with a large format, colorful underwater photographs and word count per book of 125 words or less. The texts are well crafted, with special words repeated for easy learning. The size and shape of these books with their colorful attractive covers make them appealing to teacher and student alike. Not only do they have a consulting editor, but an educational consultant, a member of the Southwest Marine/Aquatic Educator's Association. This entry for young readers shows the remarkable variety and ethereal beauty of these invertebrates. One photograph shows a jelly bigger than a diver, while stating that jellies' sizes range bigger than a person or small as a penny. Some have long tentacles, some short; tentacles are adept at catching and stinging fish, then pulling their prey into their stomachs. Yet some fish swim with jellies because the association keeps them safe from other predators. One fact—that jellies sometimes gather in groups called smacks—is one I have never encountered in other books about jellies. The book includes a simple glossary, a bibliography, a reference to FactHound.com, an age-appropriate and safe internet site for further research, plus an index. Identifying specific species would have been a welcome addition since young children often like to hear specific names. 2005, Pebble Plus/Capstone Press, Ages 2 to 6.—JudyCrowder