Hiding in Oceans

by Deborah Underwood

Overview

What would be the best way for an animal to hide in the ocean? To look like the ocean! This title introduces readers to ocean habitats and the animals that live and survive there using camouflage. Readers will discover what physical traits enable these animals to blend into their surroundings so they can hide from predators.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781432940294
Publisher:	Capstone
Publication date:	09/01/2010
Series:	Creature Camouflage
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	7.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.10(d)
Lexile:	600L (what's this?)
Age Range:	5 - 7 Years

About the Author

Deborah Underwood has written many books for children. She lives in San Francisco. www.DeborahUnderwoodBooks.com.

Renata Liwska lives and works in Calgary, Canada, with her illustrator husband, Mike. Her childhood memories are of growing up in Warsaw, Poland.

Table of Contents

What are oceans like? — Living in the ocean — What is camouflage? — Find the ocean animals — Animals that stand out.

Editorial Reviews

The books in this series provide information on adaptations that go beyond mere camouflage. These primary leveled readers can be a valuable resource to teach life science concepts. Each of the eight books in the series highlights a different ecosystem and the animals adapted to thrive in it. Because all the books in the series use the same format, navigating them is easy. Hiding in the Oceans begins with a simple definition: "Oceans are huge areas of salty water." Then readers learn about animal adaptations. The decorator crab, for instance, camouflages itself by sticking seaweed all over its shell; the frogfish has a spine that sticks out of its head. The text then goes on to describe a behavioral adaptation. The frogfish's wiggling spine looks like food to fish, which in one chomp can be dinner for the frogfish! The combination of environment, behavior, and body forms makes for some fantastic reading. This book does not substitute for taking young learners outside into their local environment to look for adaptations of animals and plants. It does, however, open the door to understanding that animals all over the world must adapt to survive in their ecosystems. Strategies are given for helping young students read and understand the book, and these strategies will also help primary teachers. Each page has one to three sentences in large, black print that is appropriate for primary students. There is a contrasting explanation box overlapping each photo. Page numbers are highly visible, which is useful when reading to groups of students. Science terms that may challenge a student’s reading level are accompanied by phonetic spellings. Highlighted glossary terms are limited, which will help younger students focus on those that are relevant. Camouflaged animals are expertly hidden in photos and uniquely revealed. An identical photo is on the next page depicting the animal against a contrasting gray-and-white background. This will help even the youngest students to distinguish the physical characteristics of the animal. Giving students enough time to examine the photographs may tempt them to turn the page to find the animal revealed. Each book in this series explains one unique ecosystem and highlights animals that have adapted to that environment. The entire series helps students to understand the importance of adaptation to survival in diverse ecosystems. http://www.nsta.org/recommends/ViewProduct.aspx?ProductID=20311

NSTA Recommends

Camouflage and habitats are seen in a different and exciting way through this new series. Each book has large font and minimal text with a large color photograph on each page. The series’ unique perspective uses photographs of an animal in hiding. The next page then shows the same picture with the camouflaged animal highlighted so the reader can see it. Each title also covers several animals that stand out instead of needing to blend in with their surroundings. Younger students will love these books, not only for the interesting facts and the way they are presented, but for the "I-Spy-like" photographs. These books are a fun way to learn about the creatures who use camouflage to survive; perfect for animal projects and the study of animal habitats. A simple contents page make this a winner for an introductory lesson for younger students. Glossary. Index. – Maureen Mooney, Library Media Specialist, Caroline St. School, Saratoga Springs, New York Library Media Connection January/February 2011

Library Media Connection