Shimmer & Splash: The Sparkling World of Sea Life

Gr 2–5—Arnosky has been directing his painterly eye and literary hand to the natural world for many years, ranging from artful works on raccoons in a cornfield to taloned raptors in the ether. Here he turns his considerable talents to life in the sea in the style of previous works such as Thunder Birds: Nature's Flying Predators (2011) and Slither and Crawl: Eye to Eye with Reptiles (2009, both Sterling). With foldout pages and many life-size illustrations, this overview is less tightly focused, touching on sea life from coral reefs to sailfish, from sea jellies to fiddler crabs, all depicted in a burst of shimmering blues and greens with splashes of yellow. The informative and lucid text is larded with personal experiences as Arnosky wades, kayaks, boats, and fishes in the "sparkling" world of water he so obviously enjoys. Soft pencil sketches ranging from coral species to sharks' tails slip along the outer margins of the pages of text, a gentle counterpoint to the exuberant, colorful acrylics. Informative, to be sure, and eminently readable, this dynamic title will be an explosive visual feast for many children.—Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY