City fish, country fish by Cerullo_ Mary M
Audio book: Interesting to compare the different fishes due to their size, color and habitat make each place
good for each of the fish that live there and why. Bio regions are discussed.
Pictures are captioned. Secrets of survival are explained. Glossary of terms used are explained.
I received this book from National Library Service for my BARD (Braille Audio Reading Device). ( )

Author Mary M. Cerullo and undersea photographer Jeffrey L. Rotman present an immensely engaging and informative examination of the world's fishes** in this outstanding work of picture-book natural history. Taking their inspiration from Aesop's tale of The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse, they contrast and compare tropical and temperate fish populations, likening the former to "city fish" because they live in and around huge coral reefs that function as urban centers, and the latter to "country fish" because they are less centralized, and often live closer to the "land" (ie: the ocean floor). Topics presented include the colors of the ocean (blue seas vs. green soup), the colors of fishes (electric vs. earth), living spaces (hi-rise condos vs. room to roam), the shape that fits (flat and compact vs. solid and sturdy), working together (symbiosis vs. schooling), and secrets of survival (specialization vs. self-reliance). The book concludes with a discussion of how fishes are alike, despite these regional differences, and includes a glossary and suggestions for further reading at the rear.

Having greatly enjoyed this author's Sea Soup: Phytoplankton and Sea Soup: Zooplankton, which were also published by Tilbury House - an independent Maine-baised publisher whose children's catalogue is generally outstanding - I was excited to see that she had a new oceanographic picture-book coming out, and City Fish, Country Fish did not disappoint! The framing device she uses is effective, allowing readers to consider the ocean's fish populations in ways they might not have before, and her informative text is unfailingly engaging. The brilliant photography of Jeffrey L. Rotman adds greatly to the reading experience, offering a visual counterpart to the tropical/temperate comparison being used in the text, while also just presenting some gorgeous images! All in all, a wonderful work, one I would recommend to all young marine biologists and would-be ichthyologists.

**As the author notes in a brief afterword, the plural form "fish" is used by scientists when referring to a group of fish of the same species, while "fishes" is used when referring to several different kinds of fish. ( )