There are other books of Candace Fleming's that I like better.

This one did not work as well in storytime. It is GREAT to have out, say, if you are taking a trip to the Oregon Coast or somewhere else where there are a lot of tide pools. However, with my wiggle bunch, this book fell on deaf ears ( )

Three pages before the title page serve as a poetic introduction: a crescent moon sinks over the ocean (looking, in one picture, like a shark fin) as the tide crashes in and creeps out, leaving tide pools behind, full of life.

Back matter includes one double-page spread ("an illustrated guide to this tide pool") with information about each living creature mentioned in the book - barnacles, mussels, crabs, anemones, sea cucumbers, periwinkles and turban snails, limpets and chitons, opaleyes, shannies, sculpins, sponges, shrimp, sea stars, sea urchins, sea squirts, and the occasional octopus. A "Let's Explore" section points readers to additional online resources, and a final page ("Where Do They Live?") shows the different zones - spray, high tide, middle tide, low tide - and which creatures live where.

An excellent read-aloud (lots of onomatopoeia) and incredibly informative. A must for science collections! ( )