Ocean Soup: Tide-Pool Poems
Grade 2–4—Poems about sea creatures that inhabit tide pools are accompanied by googly-eyed, often comical, cartoon representations of each one, along with a short note describing a few of its characteristics. Many of the selections are quatrains with rhyming second and fourth lines. Barnacle, sea slug, sculpin, mussel, starfish, lobster, octopus, and more—each describes its own habits in first-person verse, some with a refrain tagged on: "Scuttle to the left, scuttle to the right./In my new shell, I'll scuttle all night." (The hermit crab). Critters are painted in bright pastel colors—yellow, yellow-green, pale and bright pink, red, and shades of blue. Their distinctive shapes are clear, and characteristic details, such as spines, tentacles, and suction cups, are included. Each spread features a humorous poem, several illustrations, and information about the creature. More fun than purely factual, this collection is an additional choice for poetry sections.—Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, OH(c) Copyright 2010.  Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc.  No redistribution permitted.--This text refers to theHardcoveredition.