Besides the treasure trove of information found within its pages, what I appreciated most what the format: it looks and reads like a real newspaper. I cannot wait to use it in my classroom to create collaborative projects in my class!

Babies have to learn the hard way. By being eaten.

Um, okay. This is a children's book riddled with tonal dissonance.

This is a really sweet little informative and humourous book presented in the format of a newspaper, if not slightly disturbing and pertaining to adult humour. The newspaper was started by a sea creature, who went through all sorts of challenges to get his paper published (It was 52 years in the making).

I've never encountered a children's book with such a gorgeous and witty format before, while still delivering serious messages (with problematic themes, which I'll get into later). There are even classifieds in this newspaper! The sea theme and beautiful blue colours only enhance the book more, even if the font is terribly small.

It's fair to say that most of the issues we have faced over the last hundred years or so are down to human behaviour., says a sting ray who is concerned about oceanic life. There's even a picture of Winnie the ray.

There are some fun activities littered throughout this book, as well as imperative information for children regarding the ocean and its wildlife.

There are also important questions like: what's it like at the bottom of the ocean? Well, some kindly fish help answer that. I like the personalised style - it's less detached than just providing facts on a page about marine life. It's bringing marine life TO life so that children can grow up to be more sensitive of the crises surrounding our marine life.

This book contains many messages regarding the environment and seems almost propaganda-like at times. Let me rather call it preachy. I love the Blobfish! And the newly-discovered Yeti Crab, which is adorable.

The only qualm I have with this book is that the text is definitely too small for little people to read on their own - a parent will definitely be needed to help. Although, older children from about 9 should be fine reading this book.

Despite the often dreary work of reading such a small font, I enjoyed the book, but don't feel as if it would stay in my memory - especially due to the format. Children will really struggle to read this, due to both the small font and level of difficulty. The book has some tonal dissonance as it is definitely geared towards a young audience (there are many activities to do) but it's still too adult-like in its use of language.
The attempt at humour sometimes made me laugh, but other times it fell flat.

It would be such a cute book to have as a child. But I knew that if I were 9 my granny would have to read this to me or I'd only look at pictures.

There's a cute little segment where the newspaper interviews Billy the Whale as his new blues album was just released.

Ocean Potion: I feel as though a lot of the commentary would fall on deaf ears as its too subtle and sarcastic about the state of the ocean - kids need something a little less subtle while still building up knowledge concerning global warming and marine life being threatened.

However, what I did enjoy about the book is that a lot of the sea creatures were personified, which really does give them a lovely and sympathetic tale. The humour can, however, be a bit dark.

Conclusion

This is a cute little book that will be enjoyed with the aid of an adult or older child.

#TheOceanicTimes #NetGalley #Parenthood

A very good way to introduce children to oceanography and marine life. Easy to understand descriptive section supported by colorful pictures. A good choice from children from 8-11 years old.

Told with a good dose of humor by sea creatures, this book gives readers important information about topics such as the impact of humans on the oceans, coral reefs, deep sea creatures and more. The variety of nonfiction features--portraits of sea creatures (zooplankton, pufferfish, blue whale), games (word search, spot the difference), and a diagram of the life cycle of a salmon,--adds interest. Both informative and engaging.

Set out in newspaper format, this thirty five page book is jam packed with facts, games and quizzes all about the ocean and what lives in it. Each page is full of information coupled with lots of activities for children to complete. It immediately made me think how good it would be on a car journey with lots of interesting facts to share as well as activities for a child to do on their own.

“The Oceanic Times” is SO clever and kids will love it - especially if they’re interested in oceans and/or animals.

First up thanks for the invitation to read this book. Sadly, I am now over halfway through the book and I am not liking it at all. I expected a spoof newspaper, so I expected facts mixed with humour and silliness. I expected things like funny headlines with funny stories about fish/sea life. There are a few smaller articles, mostly ads (as I would call them that) that do feel like a spoof to me (like the gardening and who won a price), but most of it was just dry material about fishes and sea life and BOOHOOOOOOHHOOOO humans suck.

I wouldn't call this a spoof newspaper, I would rather call it a spoof science magazine, only then with very little spoof. There are some humorous parts, but mostly I was just bored. And I am normally not bored while reading about sea life.

So thank you, but this just wasn't for me. :(

Written not so much as a newspaper as the newsletter for a condo association, with sections, games, dating profiles, and even ads, it’s both funny and educational.
I love the music section, though I don’t know why they interviewed a blue whale instead of a humpback.
“Tears of the clownfish”. . . sometimes a good pun writes itself. “Seahorsing around” is another one.
In case you don’t believe truth is stranger than fiction, take a look at an anglerfish.

While the format of this title appealed to me, I’m honestly not sure it will appeal to a younger reader as newspapers are already somewhat considered a thing of the past. Being a small volume I also worry that this title would get lost on our shelves, and it isn’t easy to categorise, further hurting its changes. A good concept and maybe a bind up of them all might do better?

That was perhaps the most fun I have ever had learning about sea creatures, oceans, seas, and conservation. I have always loved sea turtles and, thanks to this book, will stop using plastic bags altogether now. Poor things mistaking them for jellyfish. Seriously though, this book isn't just fun and games (although it is full of those too). You will learn something and not even know it is happening.

Appealing Across the Board

The boys are 4, 6, and 9. They're all nuts about aquariums and sea creatures and shells and especially octopuses, and there is something here for each of them.

For the littlest there are cute drawings, a simple game or two, some coloring, and some short articles that can be read to/with him. Middle boy will like the connect the dots, the word finds, and the rest of the activity-ish puzzles and challenges. The oldest will read it cover to cover and will like the newspaper style and some of the puns and jokes.

This covers a lot of territory. It mixes up the jokes, games, info, quizzes, and so on in order to keep every page interesting and every turn of the page eye-catching or surprising. That said, some of the articles are detailed and informative, and there's a lot more content and substance than the initial jokey presentation might suggest.

So, between the peppy and upbeat style and the surprising substance, and the book's appeal to a pretty wide age range, I thought this would be a very nice addition to the family shelf.

(Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

This fun book is very interactive! With games, puzzles, stories and many other alluring information your child might not even realize they are learning. Great book to take on a road trip to provide entertainment and something to do!

I received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.