Member Reviews
Lots of great pictures and nicely detailed descriptions in this book. I loved that the author included native Hawaiian traditions about corals. I wasn't very enthusiastic about the section on climate change and ocean pollution, because while it is important to take personal responsibility for leading an ecologically friendly lifestyle, the majority of our ecological issues stem from corporations and other large-scale enterprises. Overall I liked it, and didn't notice anything that I thought was factually incorrect or misleading.
5 ☆
Enchanting, colorful, and informative.
I've been fascinated with coral reefs since I stumbled across a National Geographic article during high school. As climate change has raised ocean temperatures and acidity levels to the lethal detriment of coral reefs, it's more important than ever to increase awareness of the rich and beautiful biodiversity that's about to be lost.
The World of Coral Reefs is delightfully illustrated in vibrant colors. The accompanying text is highly informative about corals -- from how they begin, the various types and the animal lives they support. Humans are also highly dependent upon healthy coral for sustenance, protection from surging seas, and tourist income. I am not good at guessing the reading comprehension level of children by age, but the information seemed to be aimed at the middle grades while the illustrations would delight all ages.
Thank you to the author, Storey Publishing, and Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. This review is based upon an uncorrected proof (ISBN 9781635863376). Publication date is March 29, 2022
The World of Coral Reefs is one of the most comprehensive books on coral reefs that I have seen for an elementary audience. The author uses scientific language, but supports it with in-text definitions and a glossary in the back. After all, if kids can learn Tyrannosaurus rex, they can learn mutualistic and zooxanthellae. Before reading this book, I didn't know what zooxanthellae were.
I know this book will be popular with students because of the bright, appealing illustrations, but they will also learn what a coral reefs are and what they can do to protect them.
Thank you to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
I found it to be a very child-friendly book, with appropriate information for the age group. Illustrative art is attractive and modern, handling a harmonious color palette.
It not only makes a description of this important habitat, but also its biology, addresses the issue of climate change, actions to collaborate in its conservation and links to delve into the subject or take a virtual tour of your choice in a reef in the world.
It is of the utmost importance that children know it, learn to respect it and preserve it.
This book is incredible. The illustrations are so beautiful. Each page is a work of art that will cause even the youngest of readers to lean in. The content is well suited for older children or teens, With the gorgeous illustrations, you can hold the attention of younger readers too. This is a great book for classrooms and libraries. I would suggest it as a gift for elementary school teachers! This will turn every child into a marine life fan.
The publisher made a copy of this book available for review via Netgalley. This is my honest opinion.
Absolutely beautiful book!
The drawings are what draws you in (pun intended) as they are hand-drawn and wonderful to look at for children and adults alike.
The actual content is well-written, though the relatively indepth info and use of scientific words makes it more appropriate for pre-teens and teens.
However, mixed with the pictures and a little bit of adult help it is a brilliant resource to use in mixed aged groups.
I just wanna say how visually stunning this book is!. I loved the vibrant colours and beautiful illustrations in the book!. Not only they are appealing for children but for adults as well!.
My only slight problem is the texts. The texts can be difficult to read at times especially when its white coloured texts contrast with the darker coloured backgrounds and the tiny sizes of the texts makes reading a little difficult to do especially for readers with poor eyesight like me. Other than that, i had no issue at all as this book is fascinating to read!.
When i thought that i have known enough about the corals from my previous reads, this book proves me wrong by wow-wing and amazes me with some additional fascinating facts about the corals. For example about the deep sea cold water coral reefs and the warm tropical water coral reefs. Before this, i hadn't known about those two until i read this book. I have always thought that corals can only be found in the warm tropical water. I am glad that this book provides a clear distinction between those two besides providing distribution map of those two throughout the world.
The book also teaches us readers on the distinguishing features between the hard corals and the soft corals for easier identification and even provides an easy explanation of how a single polyps can form a reef through a clear illustrations.
I am satisfied with the explanations given as they are all clear and very easy to understand. I also loved the suggestions given on how we can protect the coral reefs and the ocean. And the additional part about the creation of the Hawaiian islands is very interesting to read. My only qualm is how i wish the part about the coral rescue and restoration efforts could be longer. Overall, a very enjoyable and educational read.
"Malama o kekai, kekai o ke malama" (Take care of the ocean and the ocean will take care of you"
{Hawaiian Proverb).
Thank you publisher and NetGalley for this e-ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.
This is a beautifully illustrated book all about coral reefs. We learnt so much reading this and it is a lovely book to dip into and share together.
There are pages on the different types of coral and how they are formed, where to find coral reefs, which animals live near them and how to protect them.
The illustrations are stunning and really capture the coral reefs in all their beauty.
This would be a great book to have in a school library or classroom or just a lovely book to read at home together.
Thank you to NetGalley and Storey Publishing for this ecopy.
My daughter, who adores sharks (and sleeps with a soft one), absolutely loved this book. She dips in and out of it, learning about the underwater world, but it could also be read as a bedtime story. There are interesting facts on each page as well as soft illustrations that appeal to children. As a parent, I also really liked the way the book encouraged children to think about their senses in order to improve their learning experience. I'd recommend this for any child who is interested in the seas!
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.
I could read this book for hours and hours. As an adult, I find it breathtaking, easy to understand, well-explained, bright, child-friendly etc. It's brilliant and fantastic. Beautifully crafted and work of a genius. I can feel the symbiosis entwined with one another. I love it so much that I don't mind buying a physical copy when it's out. I would even send it to my ocean-loving friend as a gift. It feels unreal that I managed to learn so much out of this. A 5 star read!
This is a children's nonfiction book. It is beautifully illustrated, and very informative. It is probably to much information to take in at once. I was a bit overwhelmed myself. Very educational A hit for anyone who loves the ocean. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Aimed at school children, this is an informative book about coral reefs, how they grow, the life to be found in them, and the current threats to their survival.
The information given is accurate and informative, the illustrations are good and, as a reefer myself, I appreciated that the author resisted dumbing down the subject, as so many do these days. (it is indeed a "clownfish" not a "Nemo"). The book ends with advice on what school children can do to help safeguard the future of coral reefs. I think that this book is likely to get some kids interested enough in the subject to follow-up some of the many further reading references given at the end.
The World of Coral Reefs was an informative picture book that I read with my 9 and 5 year old daughters. Coral reefs are very important to the world's ecosystem and should be protected. The author researched the subject and was able to keep the information at a level that both kids understood. It was a bit on the long side for the 5 year old's attention span but all of us gave this book a solid 4 stars.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book for my honest opinion.
A great tool to teach kids about coral reefs from how it starts, to the animals it helps and how humans have an impact on them
The World of Coral Reefs brings the reader up close to the wonders of coral reefs! With colorful and engaging full-page illustrations and short but concise details, I found myself learning many new things about this important ecosystem. I think the book is perfectly suited for its target audience of ages 7-10, but younger and older readers will enjoy it as well. I especially appreciated the attention given to how the world is interconnected and that the things we do can affect and change other living beings. There is a glossary at the end, as well as links for follow-up information.
This is a vibrant, gorgeously illustrated non-fiction book that will be amazing as presents for children who love the sea, and in classroom settings. Every page is fully illustrated, and everyone will have something to learn from it - I know I did, even after all of the documentaries I have watched!
Fully reccommend this to anyone, great for younger readers with their parents, or 7-11 year olds by themselves - or teens and adults who love the ocean and want to know more about the ecosystems surrounding the reefs. Very interesting!
A charming and educational picture book about coral reefs.
Topics include where to find coral reefs and what animals can be found in them, different kinds of corals and their anatomy, how corals reproduce and how reefs form, coral bleaching and how climate change affects the corals and what we can do to help keep them clean and healthy.
There are a couple of facts that I found fascinating and overall I’m happy with the text of this one. Maybe the parts about coral bleaching and the importance of coral reefs for humans could have gone a little further, but generally I’m content. I’m particularly happy with the chapter about the things we can do to help protect coral reefs. And this is quite important too. Only recently I’ve heard that many scientists consider it as likely that coral reefs will be gone from this world by the end of this century. Gone. Completely.
It’s worth taking some time to learn a couple of things about coral reefs. And the author mentions a lot of other sources too that look interesting. Thanks for that.
We are quite some time removed from the release of this book. So both the art and the text are not final. Unfortunately this also means that I can’t share any pictures with you. But final or not, the artwork is gorgeous. The cover gives a good indication of what to expect. My only quibble, the text was a little hard to read occasionally. White on turquoise or light blue for instance just doesn’t work very well. I hope this gets changed. It probably will.
Recommended.
The World of Coral Reefs is a children’s non-fiction book for ages 7 to 10 and is written by a marine ecologist and underwater explorer. The book covers types of coral, anatomy, and life cycle, where they live, how reefs develop, what type of animals they support.
Illustrations: The illustrations are vibrant and beautiful. They capture the color and beauty of coral reefs and are alluring for readers old and young.
Story: I thought I was well-versed on coral reefs, but I learned some interesting factoids from this book! For example – you can tell a hard and soft coral apart based on how many tentacles they have (hard have six and soft have 8). I loved that they included the Hawaiian creation story. The book concludes with actions that can be taken to help with the coral reefs.
Verdict: I would recommend this to curious young readers. This is a book that could be poured over for hours with all the facts and pictures. This would also make a great addition to a classroom library.
ARC was provided to me by Storey Publishing LLC, in exchange for an honest review.
I love this book! This is a great purchase for public and school libraries alike. It is full of great information about reefs and our oceans and laid out beautifully. It's very readable, yet still packed with information. The artwork is lovely and, while even the zoom-in views are illustrations, they are very detailed. Elements such as a table of contents, bolded key vocabulary, pronunciation help, and a glossary make this more than just a fun read. This would be a wonderful addition to a science curriculum. The book includes information about a variety of additional resources and sites to explore for more in depth information, along with information about where teachers can find additional curriculum support. This book has so many elements that make it a great educational resource, yet it is still so fun and engaging. The book ends with information about climate change, how people benefit from the reefs, and how we can help support the health of the reefs. This is a must purchase for a library looking for engaging and relevant children's non-fiction!
Thank you Netgalley and Storey Publishing for this advanced reader copy. And thank you Erin Spencer for a beautiful and informational book!
Swim right into this colorful, informative book and discover the fascinating world of coral reefs. I’m a bit prejudiced because coral reefs are my favorite places on the planet. Anyone can be enraptured by turning the gorgeous double spread pages of Erin Spencer’s book with illustrations by Alexandria Neonakis. You will sink into an exiting and diverse world swirling with different animals. By exploring the reef you will learn how they are made, grow, what lives there, and sadly, how they die. You will also find out what we can do to save them. The book has a glossary and a bonus section on, ways you can get more information. An excellent book for inquiring minds of most any age. Swim right into this colorful, informative book and discover the fascinating world of coral reefs. I’m a bit prejudiced because coral reefs are my favorite places on the planet. Anyone can be enraptured by turning the gorgeous double spread pages of Erin Spencer’s book with illustrations by Alexandria Neonakis. You will sink into an exiting and diverse world swirling with different animals. By exploring the reef you will learn how they are made, grow, what lives there, and sadly, how they die. You will also find out what we can do to save them. The book has a glossary and a bonus section on, ways you can get more information. An excellent book for inquiring minds of most any age.