Sesame Subjects: My First Book About Fish (Sesame Street)
PreSchool-Grade 1–The Muppet Grover presents a basic lesson on fish–along with a few comical comments–to Elmo and his pet goldfish, and to readers. He describes major physical and behavioral characteristics, natural habitats, diet, and more. Also included are a short survey of unusual fish and a few suggestions for activities, such as visiting an aquarium. Sharp color photographs of representative fish, framed in narrow, colored borders, illustrate the text on almost every page. Captions identify species by common names; some extended captions offer facts about the fish depicted. Cartoon images of Grover and/or Elmo, in bright primary colors, appear on every spread, sometimes with dialogue balloons containing additional information or amusing asides and jokes. Sidebars offer additional facts. The clearly written text is well organized, with the cartoon element complementing the factual material. For young readers who prefer their nonfiction straight, Sylvia A. Earle'sHello, Fish!(National Geographic, 1999) and Aliki'sMy Visit to the Aquarium(HarperCollins, 1993) might be better choices. However, Einhorn has a broader scope and offers a more general introduction to fish.–Karey Wehner, formerly at San Francisco Public LibraryCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.