A busy book, and one that might be a little too busy, in its exploration of our underwater world. Starting with a spread on coral reef life, we see several corals (and have to spot them indeed with a box-out task), and all the fish and suchlike we might expect. They all have their captions just to name them, while several get a bonus bite of text. Then we turn to sharks, again getting the sole double-page spread. But here the layout proves the flaws in being so full-on, for we learn a decent factoid about a shark's nose before finding out which shark it is.

The visuals are slightly unusual, as well, in that all the animals and so on have a white line around them, as if badly photoshopped in. That's not the case, for things are far too coherent for that, but it does look unusual. You also get odd details like a snorkelling kid looking like he's skydiving, and the critters only adding to the splurge of text by talking and quipping about themselves. We touch on mangrove swamps, polar seas and the beach, before seeing the ecological problems the seas are facing, and that's about it. So on one hand there is too much in this book but on the other it might easily have been more substantial. I was more appreciative of the charts showing animal sizes, and what lives how deep down, and the spread of the more bonkers parts of aquatic nature, which shows this has some merit in portraying some of the more trivial sides of things. But for anything more encyclopaedic I'd probably prioritise other purchases.

My daughter and I absolutely loved reading this book - it was filled with fascinating facts complimented by beautiful illustrations and carefully designed layouts. Each page focused on a different aspect of the ocean and was filled with facts that we hadn't read before, meaning it sparked many discussions, There were interesting sections on the work being done to protect the oceans and a great 'can you find?' section that had us going back and combing through each of the pages. A really well thought out and interesting book - we will definitely be picking up the rest of the series!

A lovely non fiction book about the ocean with really good illustrations. Each double page takes you through a different area of the sea or type of creature sich as kelp forests, seashore, sharks and is in a style that children really enjoy with short pieces of information.
I liked the comparative page showing ocean giants and the map at the end to show where all the oceans are. It was also good to see a section about how you can help the oceans. Definitely a good addition to a class library and good for an oceans topic

Matt Robertson has written and created a beautiful book about the oceans for younger learners and readers. This wonderfully informative and colourful book takes children on a journey below the waves and the world connected to the seas. The list of things you will do on “ your epic ocean safari” really is great way to entice readers into the book - and yes it does stimulate observation within the pages to look out for clues and knowledge about man’s impact upon the ocean and its creatures . The drawings / artwork are so full of life and humour that this book will easily appeal to the 4-8 year old range. I would recommend this book to any KS1 teacher or parents with a budding naturalist in the family . This is a brilliant companion book to “Do You Love Bugs? “ Matt Robertson’s illustrations as in his previous books truly engage. Each page would make a beautiful range of educational posters. Highly recommended for a class topic or a great non fiction book to have at home