Secret Seahorse (Hide-And-Seek Books (Barefoot Books))
PreSchool-Grade 2 - As an unseen narrator follows a quickly moving seahorse, rhyming verses describe the scenery and creatures encountered along the way: "He swam past reefs of coral, with colors flower bright./He swam past flickering fishes, then disappeared from sight." The story concludes with the discovery of an entire family of seahorses, shown in many sizes, gracefully posed inside a cave. Beaton's beautiful collages, made from antique fabric, felt, and assorted bric-a-brac, support the text well. The coral is bright and colorful, and the fish flicker with sequins. Children will enjoy searching for the seahorse hidden on each spread, and the variety of patterns and hues gives them practice in visual discrimination. The book ends with a brief description of coral reefs, an illustrated guide to 20 different creatures highlighted in the artwork, and a fact page about seahorses. With large, vivid pictures that make it suitable for reading alone or aloud, this book presents a colorful first look at coral reefs.- Deborah Rothaug, Pasadena Elementary School, Plainview, NYCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.