Mister Seahorse
Are you ready for a scintillating seahorse fact? The father seahorse is  the one who carries the mother's eggs around in his pouch before they  hatch. InMister Seahorse, master collage artistEric Carleteaches preschoolers this lesson and introduces them to a few other fish  who bear the traditionally maternal burden of caring for eggs: the  stickleback, tilapia, Kurtus nurseryfish (known here as Mr. Kurtus),  pipefish, and bullhead catfish. As ever, it's Carle's art that steals  the show. Cut-up tissue paper soaks up the watery paint and makes for a  boldly colorful, almost jewel-like undersea journey. The story? Well,  repetition is the heart of instruction, after all.Most of Carle's books employ some sort of gizmo or gadget--and this one  is no exception. Here, for a splendid lesson in camouflage, colorful  acetate sheets mask marine life that is revealed as the child turns the  page. Children may take comfort in the devotion of these undersea  fathers...except perhaps at the very end when the father seahorse says  to a freshly hatched sea-pony who wants back in the pouch: "Idolove you, but now you are ready to be on your own." (Preschool)--Karin Snelson