Non Fiction Monday: Sea Soup – Zooplankton

September 29, 2009 Non Fiction Monday: Sea Soup – Zooplankton

It’s Nonfiction Monday! Created by Picture Book of the Day, it’s where book bloggers feature a nonfiction book for kids.

This week’s Nonfiction Monday is hosted by Wendie’s Wanderings

This week’s pick is Sea Soup: Zooplankton by Mary M. Cerullo, featuring photography by Bill Curtsinger.

Sea Soup: Zooplankton introduces readers to the various forms of the organism.  From the moment you open this book, stunning underwater images greet you.  The layout is very attractive, and catches your eye immediately. There’s splashes of color, vibrant photos in bubbles, but it still flows well, so you get all the information at an easy pace.

The opening starts off as if fiction and the letters cascade down the side of the page, a visual representation of a diver’s descent down below:

“The moment they dropped into the dark,alien world, the searchers knew they were not alone. – (p.2, Sea Soup: Zooplankton)

The book talks directly to the reader, asking questions, inviting the reader to explore the world of the zooplankton.  On one page, it’s stark white, and in the middle, a bright colorful photo of a a jellyfish and the text, “Who’s who in a zoo plankton zoo?” or “Are there zooplankton you don’t ever want to bump into?”  The corresponding pages then answer the question. This theme continues throughout the book, always engaging the reader into a discussion.

Reference wise, Sea Soup: Zooplankton packs a lot into a thin book.   Sizes, their diets, the life cycles, and the various types of zooplankton are covered. Prior to reading this book, my plankton knowledge involved Spongebob Squarepants, and this book definitely filled in the gaps.     There’s a glossary and even an additional teacher’s guide available from the publisher, for those who want more information.

Copy for review provided by the publisher.

Title: Sea Soup: Zooplankton

Author: Mary Cerullo

Date: 2001

Publisher: Tilbury House

Pages: 40

Format: Hardback

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