Awards

Reviews

In this eye-catching title, a little girl peers into a tidepool and observes the animals living there. The text begins with a wisecracking, unrhymed letter to the “Two-Armed Explorer” from a sea star. From there it moves to a rhymed description of a coastline; a spread with the single line, “This is the tidepool”; and then a rhymed tribute to the “curly-haired girl with wondering eyes” who “truly cared” for the creatures. Finally, the bulk of the book is a “House-That-Jack-Built”-style cumulative rhyme introducing barnacles, fish, anemones, a sponge, snails, crabs, limpets, and a sea star. . . . the imagery is apt and engaging. A page of field notes gives brief information about each of the animals, and several bibliographies list other books about the shore, by the author, and by the publisher. Full-bleed, double-page illustrations are bright and detailed, bordering on the surreal in color and pattern. . .

— School Libary Journal (November 2002)

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Invite your students to visit the community of creatures that live at the edge of the ocean. The rhyming text and vivid illustrations in this book fill the journey with fun and facts.

— Learning Magazine (Spring 2004)

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Anthony Fredericks has produced yet another wonderful children’s book. His vivid descriptions of life in a tidepool are both enticing to young readers as well as accurate. His excellent “Field Notes” further add to the academic value of this very inviting book. I highly recommend it.

— Prof. Walter C. Dudley – Univ. of Hawaii, Oceanography Dept. – Scientific Advisor, Pacific Tsunami Museum