This has the ocean food web worked into the seasons of the year. To be honest, I never thought much about how the seasons affected the creatures in the ocean before, except for migration. Lots of information at the back of the book to learn from for both young and old. Nice illustrations of sea critters. ( )

This book is the story about the changing of the seasons and how the ocean is effected by the changing of the seasons. It talks about how certain species live and die throughout the seasons and how some animals migrate and some plants grow.

Genre: informational
Summary: The reader is taken through the different seasons in the ocean and what animals are doing during that time.

Overall: This illustrated picture book cycles through the seasons (beginning with spring) and how the changing seasons affect the ocean and its inhabitants. The main focus is on humpback whales throughout the seasons, but other animals, such as baby puffins, sea otters, and salmon, are also intertwined into the story-like informational book. The concept of a food web and predator/prey is hinted at, but the words/concepts aren't explicitly introduced (only at the end of the book in the additional information section).

Possible science topics:
-Habitats (ocean)
-Predator and prey
-Food web
-Migration

Strategies/uses:
-Each season is bolded. How does the bolded word enhance the text?
-A lesson could be taught on if you want to learn more, what can you do? (using additional information at the end of the book).
-This book would be great to introduce the concept of a food web and predator and prey (since the book implicitly introduces the concepts).
-This book doesn't contain real photographs, only watercolor paintings (which are beautiful). Why do you think the author chose to paint?

Informational text features:
-Bolded words
-Additional information

I have always loved the ocean so I decided to make my non-fiction book about the ocean. This book has very colorful pictures, as well as detailed ones. It is interesting, appeals to all ages and I think it especially appeals to kids. Ocean Seasons tell about the different seasons of the sea and how the animals react to the change of them. I recommend this book to people who are teaching or learning about the ocean, and believe it is a good research book. I rate this book with four stars, because it has a lot of facts and good information in it but I wish it was longer or filled with more information.

Ocean Seasons starts out with a beautiful setting, with an otter wrapped with tall green seaweed growing beneath the service of the ocean. The otter swims to the bottom of some kelp for lunch, he finds some urchins waiting for him to scoop them up and save the kelp's life. A school of fish is found swimming in the kelp hiding from predators. Another thing that the animals do beneath the seas surface in the spring is whales blow bubbles trapping there helpless pray fish. In the summer the seals lay down in the sun and whales are still eating fish, breaching the water forcing the fish into their mouths. The plankton that once was alive in the summer now falls to the ocean floor because of the lack of light. Whales feed on the salmon as they swim upstream in Autumn. Whales slowly make their way to warmer waters, once they make it to the tropical waters baby whale calf are born. Winter goes back to spring and the process stars all over again with life moving on . ( )