in the swim

Even the most educated marine biologist could learn something from this whimsical, beautifully illustrated collection of 21 poems about sea life. Some of the poems are pure silly fun ("There are uglier fish than a blennie-- / But not many."), and others are gracefully infiltrated with animal facts ("Did you know the ocean's oysters / Sometimes change from girls to boysters?"). Douglas Florian, whose Beast Feast and On the Wing received high praise, accompanies each of his delightful poems with a stunning watercolor painting. In addition to capturing the liquid blur of an underwater world, the illustrations incorporate subtle visual jokes; for example, the salmon are doing the high jump, and the seahorses are wearing saddles. It's no fish story--Florian's combination of intelligent, funny rhymes and rich, irresistible paintings will make a splash in your home! (Ages 3 and older)