Over in the Mangroves

K-Gr 3–A strange and wonderfully diverse collection of animals live and flourish among the mangrove trees in this delightful rhyming story. What do a Bengal tiger, an amphibious Goby fish, and a giant honey bee all have in common? They are among the hundreds of species of animals who live in and around a vast collection of mangrove trees in the Sundarbens National Forest in India and Bangladesh. Each animal is introduced in turn, following the old “Over in the Meadow” rhyme scheme: “Over in the mangroves, by the river in the sun, slinks a fierce mama tiger and her little tiger one.” It cycles through a deer, a goby fish, a curlew, a honeybee, a water snake, a pitta bird, a crocodile, a seahorse, and a lobster. Finally, the mangrove trees, which the author notes “preserve, protect and provide,” gently remind them to “shelter” when a storm begins. The digitally rendered illustrations beautifully depict the lush landscape; the underwater scenes are particularly appealing, with animals that all have wide, friendly eyes. Additional illustrated information includes funny animal names, such as Goggle-Eyed Goby and the Dog-Faced Watersnake, mixed with interesting facts about each animal. A perfect book to launch a unit on animal habitats and ecosystems, this is adaptable to primary and upper-grade levels. References, including books, articles, and websites, are provided along with the bibliographic information. Back matter includes an introduction to the Sundarbens National Forest, author’s and illustrator’s notes, but there is no map.