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The Big Green Book of the Big Blue Sea
by Helaine Becker
Price at time of review: $9.95
80 pp.
Kids Can Press Ltd.
Tonawanda, NY
2012
ISBN: 9781554537471
Grade Level: 3-7
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Reviewed by Adah Stock
Master Teacher and a Science Education Consultant
Children not only learn by doing but they retain more if they participate in hands–on activities. As you flip through this book you will find activities that require only simple materials found at home. These activities are so safe little parental guidance is needed.
But that is only part of the beauty of this volume. Forty–one activities are each followed by a section called ‘What’s Going On?” that explains the science behind the activity and how it relates to ocean life or ocean events in that chapter. Not all the activities are unique to this volume but the ones in this book really relate to each chapter’s focus.
The book is divided into three sections: Wet and Wild; Fun With Fish; and More Marine Marvels. Readers learn what the oceans holds in terms of the living and non–living components, how the oceans work, how the oceans are changing today, and how anyone can help promote a healthy ocean for the future.
Embedded within some chapters are highlighted sections called “The Ocean at Risk" or “What’s Happening Now.” These sections contain a photo and description of some news event. For example, there is a photo of a scuba diver exploring the oyster beds of an oyster farm. The article relates that these beds had almost disappeared but now scientists are seeking ways to prevent runoff from the shore to revive the health of these beds. This article appears in a chapter called “How Pearls Are Formed.” The artwork within the book is child–friendly, with images that either reinforce the activity or highlight the chapter. Colorful photos randomly appear throughout the book and artwork appears on every page.
Knowledge is power; some of the information in the book seems negative but can lead to a more positive future. In the chapter called “The Dark Side of Farming” children learn that runoff from farms can produce dead–zones in the ocean where nothing can live. In “What’s Going On” one learns that this effect can be reversed and at the end of this short section there is a list of three things a child can do to reduce this problem. One suggestion is to remove phosphates from your home cleaning materials.
The last chapter is one page long and is called “The Ocean of the Future.” The author points out that much of what we will learn in the future about the ocean will come from people like the young readers who care about the ocean. The author continues with a plea to keep on learning more and more about the ocean. Not only does a child learn all about the ocean and what is happening to it, but continued learning is also promoted. This is followed by a two–page comprehensive index.
What is not to like about the book? It is full of activities ideal for a young adult or for a teacher’s students to understand the oceans now and to encourage humans to improve the health of the body of water that covers almost seventy–five percent of the surfaces of this Earth. This is indeed a great volume to own.
Review posted on 11/28/2012
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