FICTION

Sea Bones

by Bob BARNER
illus. by Bob Barner. 32p. Chronicle. 2015. Tr $16.99. ISBN 9781452125008.
COPY ISBN
K-Gr 2—Having romped through the world of bones with Dem Bones (1996) and Dinosaur Bones (2001, both Chronicle), Barner turns to the bony (or not) denizens of the ocean. His colorful, impressionistic torn paper, pen-and-ink, and watercolor illustrations splash enthusiastically across the pages, accompanied by double-decker text. Simple, rhyming single sentences aimed at younger children sprawl about in large bright print, while brief paragraphs, clinging tidily in conventional type, present a modicum of additional data for older readers or for parents or teachers to share with the curious. From sea jellies to blue whales, sharks to coral polyps, the wide variety of creatures is eye-catching and inviting. A final colorful chart of "Sea Facts" allows for quick comparison of the eight pictured species.
VERDICT Looser in its organization than Barner's previous bone books, this is another exuberant, colorful approach to all things bone.
Reviewed by Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY
A couplet and an assortment of sea creatures--rendered in pen-and-ink, torn- and cut-paper, and watercolors--drift across each bright undersea spread. The rhymes (which aren't the smoothest) provide a brief overview of marine animals' skeletal variety, while a paragraph on each page expounds on endoskeletons, exoskeletons, cartilage, and creature-specific adaptations. A fact chart at the end compares eight sea creatures.
, May 01, 2015

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